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CHINESE  IMMIGRATION, 


IN  • 


ITS  SOCIAL  AND  ECONOMICAL  ASPECTS. 


BY 


GEORGE  F.’ SEWARD, 


Late  United  States  Minister  to-  China. 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 

743  AND  745  Broadway 
i88i 


Copyright  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 

i88i. 


Trow’s 

Printing  and  Bookbinding  Co., 
201-213  East  xitk  St.y 


NEW  YORK. 


‘''Whereas,  The  right  of  expatriation  is  a natural  and 
^ inherent  right  of  all  people,  indispensable  to  the  enjoyment 
of  the  rights  of  life,  liberty  and  the  purstdt  of  happiness; 
and  whereas  in  the  recognition  of  this  principle  this  Gov- 
ernment has  freely  received  emigrants from  all  nations  and 
mvested  them  with  the  rights  of  citizenship;  and  whereas 
it  is  claimed  that  such  American  citizens,  with  their  des- 
cendants, are  subjects  of  foreign  states,  owing  allegiance  to 
the  Governments  thereof;  and  whereas  it  is  necessary  to 
the  maintenance  of  public  peace . that  this  claim  of  foreign 
allegiance  shoidd  be  promptly  and  finally  disavowed.  There- 
fore, any  declaration,  instritction,  opmion,  order,  or  decision 
of  a7iy  officer  of  the  United  States  which  denies,  restricts, 
impairs  or  questions  the  right  of  expatriation,  is  declared 
mconsistent  with'  the  fundajnental  principles  of  the  Re- 
public’.' 

Revised  Statutes  of  the  United  States.  (Act  of  fidy 
2'jth,  1868.) 

“ The  United  States  of  America  and  the  Emperor  of 
China  cordially  recognize  the  mherent  and  inalmiable  right 
of  ma7t  to  cha7ige  his  hoifie  and  allegiance,  and  also  the 
mutual  advantage  of  the  free  migration  and  emigration  of 
their  citizens  a^id  subjects  respectively,  from  the  one  coun- 
try to  the  other,  for  the  purposes  of  curiosity,  of  trade,  or  as 
permanent  reside7itsy 

Treaty  with  CJd7ia.  (Proclamied  fidy  28,  1868.) 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/chineseimmigratiOOsewa 


The  following  pages  will  exhibit  to  the  reader  the 
results  of  a careful  study  of  the  social  and  economical 
aspects  of  the  questions  involved  in  Chinese  immigration. 

I approached  the  examination  of  these  questions  with 
a strong  feeling  that  the  United  States  ought  not  to  in- 
terfere unnecessarily  with  immigration,  because  in  doing 
so  we  would  depart  from  principles  well  established  in 
our  national  life,  and  because  arbitrary  interferences 
with  natural  processes  prove,  as  a rule,  unavailing  and 
injurious. 

As  I proceeded  I became  satisfied  that  no  necessity 
exists  for  such  action.  I found,  in  brief,  that  the  Chinese 
have  been  of  great  service  to  the  people  of  the  Pacific 
coast ; that  they  are  still  needed  there,  but  in  a less  im- 
portant measure ; that  the  objections  which  have  been 
advanced  against  them  are  in  the  main  unwarranted  ; 
and  that  the  minor  evils  incident  to  their  presence  may 
be  readily  abated  under  existing  treaties  and  within  the 
lines  of  ordinary  legislation. 

I found,  also,  that  the  fears  of  a large  immigration 
which  have  been  entertained,  are  unnecessary  and  ground- 
less. 

The  facts  and  considerations  upon  which  I have  based 
these  conclusions  are  stated  with  reasonable  fullness,  and, 


VI 


PREFACE. 


as  the  subject  is  important,  I may  hope  that  my  treat- 
ment of  it  will  receive  the  candid  examination  of  my 
countrymen. 

To  the  recommendations  made  by  me,  showing  in 
what  way  existing  abuses  may  be  abated,  while  leav- 
ing untouched  the  broad  principle  of  the  right  of  man 
to  change  his  home  and  allegiance,  I invite  especial 
attention. 

I have  made  no  attempt  to  deal  herein  with  any  other 
than  the  social  and  economical  aspects  of  Chinese  immi- 
gration. I have  supposed  that  the  action  of  the  country 
will  be  determined  in  view  of  these,  but  certainly  the 
political  and  commercial  issues  involved  are  not  devoid 
of  interest. 

If  the  course  of  events  shall  appear  to  make  it  desira- 
ble, I shall  offer  to  the  public  hereafter  a statement 
regarding  this  part  of  the  case. 


CONTENTS 


PART  L 

THE  NUMBER  OF  CHINESE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

A spirit  of  exaggeration  characterizes  the  statements  of  anti-Chinese 
partisans.  Statements  of  mass  meeting  held  in  San  Francisco 
in  1876.  Statements  of  counsel  before  the  Congressional  joint 
committee.  Statements  in  Congress,  and  by  Congressional  com- 
mittees. The  facts  as  revealed  by  the  census  and  by  customs’ 
statistics  of  arrivals  and  departures.  Probable  number  of  Chi- 
nees in  the  United  States  in  1876-80,  not  more  than  100,000; 
in  California,  75,000.  Distribution  of  Chinese  population. 

The  misstatements  made  in  this  connection  discredit  the  state- 
ments of  anti-Chinese  partisans  in  other  directions.  The  ques- 
tion of  importance  in  connection  with  the  general  problems 
involved  in  Chinese  immigration 1-13 


PART  II. 

THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN 
CALIFORNIA. 

CHAPTER  I. 

EAILEOAD  BUILDING. 

This  part  of  the  book  exhibits  the  material  advantages  which  have 
resulted  to  California  from  the  labors  of  Chinamen.  The  facts 
recited  taken  mainly  from  the  evidence  before  the  joint  com- 
mission. The  importance  of  railroads  to  California,  because  of 
the  isolated  position  of  the  State  and  the  extent  of  its  territory. 
Evidence  of  Gov.  Low,  Mr.  Charles  Crocker,  Mr.  Strobridge, 

Mr.  Colton,  and  Mr.  Evans,  showing  that  the  trans-continental 
and  other  railroads  could  not  have  been  built  so  cheaply  and  so 
quickly  without  Chinese  labor,  and  that  the  result  has  been  such 
as  to  serve  the  convenience,  comfort  and  opportunities  for  enter- 
prise of  the  people  of  the  State,  and  to  promote  immigration 
from  the  Eastern  States  and  the  prosperity  of  the  State 14-29 


viii 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

RECLAMATION  OF  SWAMP  LANDS. 

Description  of  the  swamp  and  overflowed  lands  of  California.  Their 
area,  5)  000,000  acres.  Their  fertility  and  value.  The  wheat 
production  of  the  State.  The  climate  favorable  to  wheat  pro- 
duction. Evidence  of  Judge  Heydenfeldt  and  Mr.  Roberts 
regarding  the  labors  of  Chinese  in  reclamation  works.  Laws  of 
the  State  providing  for  such  enterprises.  Legislation  to  protect 
farming  lands  from  results  of  hydraulic  mining 30-36 


CHAPTER  III. 

MINING. 

The  Chinese  have  met  many  difficulties  in  mining.  Discrimination 
against  them.  The  foreign-miners  tax.  Abuse  of  the  law 
by  tax-collectors.  Hostility  of  the  mining  class  at  large.  Out- 
rages perpetrated  upon  them.  Report  of  a committee  of  the 
Legislature  of  California  in  1862.  Evidence  of  Mr.  Colton,  Mr. 

Speer,  Mr.  Clarke  and  Mr.  Degroot  regarding  the  work  done 
by  the  Chinese  in  the  mines,  and  their  efficiency  as  miners. 
Aggregate  production  of  precious  metals  by  the  Chinese,  and 
advantages  to  the  State  and  country 37-So 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FARMING. 

Mining  interests  declining  and  agricultural  advancing.  Physical 
features  and  climate  of  the  State.  Agricultural  capacity  of  the 
State  not  understood  at  first.  Seasons  peculiarly  convenient 
for  the  farmer.  Normal  expenses  of  the  farmer  less  than  else- 
where. Land  cultivated  in  large  tracts.  Certain  disadvantages 
of  the  farmer  ; lack  of  rain,  high  wages.  Annual  production. 
Land-killing  system,  due  to  extent  of  lands  available,  dear 
capital  and  dear  labor.  The  kind  of  work  done  by  the  Chinese. 
Evidence  of  Mr.  Roberts,  Colonel  Hollister,  Mr.  Horner,  Mr. 

Brier,  Judge  Dwinelle,  Mr.  Easterby  and  Mr.  Sneath  as  to  the 
nature  and  value  of  their  labor.  Future  of  the  agricultural 
interests  of  the  State 5^”^^ 


CHAPTER  V. 

FRUIT  CULTURE. 

The  views  of  the  joint  committee  of  the  Legislature  of  1862  regarding 
wine  production.  Cheap  labor  needed.  Culture  of  tea,  fruits, 
etc.  Wine  production  of  1876.  Mr.  Nordhoff ’s  statement  of 
the  area  suitable  for  the  vine,  and  favorable  nature  of  climate. 
Chinese  labor  in  vineyards.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Hill.  Employ- 
ment of  Chinese  by  Buena  Vista  Vinicultural  Society  and  Ana- 
heim Vine  Growers’ Association.  Mr.  Curtis’s  evidence.  Fruits 
of  California.  Superior  opportunities  of  fruit  growers.  Fruit 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


wasted  because  of  lack  of  labor  to  save  it.  Testimony  of  Mr. 
Gibson,  Mr.  Beals,  Mr.  Peckham,  Mr.  Badlam,  and  Mr.  Castle 
regarding  the  part  taken  by  the  Chinese  in  the  growth  and 
preservation  of  fruit 69-79 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MANUFACTURING. 

The  State  has  made  no  great  progress  in  manufacturing.  Kinds  of 
manufacturing  in  which  Chinese  have  taken  part.  Woolen 
goods.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Heynemann  and  Mr.  Peckham  re- 
garding the  Chinese  as  operatives  in  woolen  mills.  Jute  bags. 
Testimony  of  Mr.  Morganthau.  Cordage.  Testimony  of  Mr. 

Beals.  By  employing  white  persons  for  superior  work  and 
Chinese  for  inferior,  an  average  of  wages  reached  not  much  higher 
than  Eastern  rates.  Cabinet  makers.  Cigar-boxes,  &c. 
Candles  and  soap.  Mr.  Morganthau  again.  Labor  uncertain 
in  California,  because  laborers  are  scarce  and  wages  high. 

Match  factories.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Jessup.  Brooms  and 
broom  brushes.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Pixley,  Mr.  Gillespie  and 
Mr.  Cortage.  Other  industries So-ioi 

CHAPTER  VII. 

SPECIAL  INDUSTRIES. 

The  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Badlam, 

Mr.  Rogers,  and  Mr.  Lessler,  as  to  the  number  of  Chinese  em- 
ployed. Wages  paid  to  journeymen  shoemakers  in  1871-1875. 

Prices  of  shoes  reduced.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Gibson  and  Mr. 

Beals.  California  a leather  producing  State.  Hats  and  caps. 
Manufacture  of  cigars,  &c.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Beals.  Two- 
thirds  of  the  cigars  used  made  in  the  State.  Testimony  of  Mr. 
Morganthau.  Number  of  Chinese  engaged.  Testimony  of  Mr. 
Rogers,  Mr.  Badlam,  Mr.  Lessler,  Mr.  Brooks  and  Mr.  Muther. 

Wages  of  Chinese  and  Americans.  Wages  in  California  and 
the  East  compared.  California  tobacco.  Advantage  of  home 
manufacture.  Industries  of  the  needle.  Relative.employment 
of  the  Chinese.  Relative  rates  of  wages.  Woolen  manufac- 
tures. Testimony  of  Mr.  Morganthau.  Shirt-making.  Laun- 
dries. Testimony  regarding  number  of  Chinese  employed. 

Lower  rates  for  laundry-work  have  inured  chiefly  to  advantage  of 
poorer  classes.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Babcock.  Glass  and  glue 
works.  Powder  mills,  &c 102-116 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DOMESTIC  SERVANTS. 

The  Chinese  are  good  servants.  Testimony  of  Mrs.  Swift,  Judge 
Heydenfeldt,  Mrs.  Avery,  Mrs.  Smith,  Judge  Lake.  Personal 
testimony  of  author.  Difficulty  of  procuring  servants  in  Califor- 
nia. Testimony  of  Judge  Hastings.  His  views  challenged. 
The  scarcity  of  servants  due  to  lack  of  supply  and  not  to  their 


CONTENTS. 


unsatisfactory  treatment  by  employers.  Wrong  ideas  about  the 
Chinese  taught  by  some  persons  of  intelligence  and  high  position. 

Judge  Hastings’  ethnological  disquisition.  His  views  about  the 
six  companies.  Mr.  McLennan’s  testimony.  High  praise  of  Chi- 
nese as  servants.  White  girls  will  not  go  into  the  country. 
Testimony  of  Mr.  Brier,  Mr.  Hollister,  and  Mr.  Morganthau. 

No  surplus  of  working  women  in  California.  Number  of  Chi- 
nese servants  in  city  and  State.  Housekeepers  would  deplore 
the  removal  of  the  Chinese 1 17-315 


PART  III. 

OBJECTIONS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  ADVANCED  AGAINST 
CHINESE  IMMIGRANTS. 

CtlAPTER  I. 

THAT  THEIR  LABOR  IS  SERVILE. 

This  objection,  or  charge,  of  fundamental  importance.  Statements 
of  anti-Chinese  partisans.  Distinction  between  a contract  to 
labor,  and  a contract  to  repay  money  advanced,  out  of  wages. 

How  the  Chinese  were  employed  by  the  Central  Pacific  railroad. 
Evidence  of  Mr.  Crocker.  General  employment  of  the  Chinese. 
Evidence  of  Mr.  Roberts,  J udge  Heydenfeldt,  Mr.  Heynemann, 

Mr.  Brier,  Judge  Campbell,  Mr.  Easterby,  Col.  Hollister,  Mr. 
Macondray,  Mr.  Peckham  and  Mr.  Shearer,  indicating  that  Chi- 
nese labor  is  free.  Evidence  of  the  presidents  of  the  six  com- 
panies to  the  same  effect.  How  the  Chinese  come  to  Califor- 
nia. Statements  of  Mr.  Gibson,  Mr.  Speer,  Dr.  Williams  and 
Mr.  Cleveland.  Opinion  of  the  committee  of  1862.  Slavery 
in  China.  Mr.  Speer’s  and  Dr.  Eitel’s  views.  - Labor  by  a class. 

The  tendency  in  California  to  degrade  labor  by  denouncing  the 
Chinese 136-158 


CHAPTER  II. 

THAT  THEY  DISPLACE  OTHER  LABORERS. 

The  question  treated  from  the  stand-point  of  the  laborer.  The  in- 
terest of  the  laboring  class  is  not  antagonistic  to  that  of  the 
capitalist.  The  laboring  class  slow  to  appreciate  the  fact. 
Trades-unions,  strikes,  &c.  Antagonism  to  laborers  who  do 
not  join  in  coercive  measures.  Antagonism  of  this  kind  to  the 
Chinese  in  California.  Its  use  as  a party  cry.  Its  success. 
Two  doors  for  labor  opened  for  one  shut.  Examination  of  facts 
regarding  railway  construction  and  its  results.  Facts  regarding 
reclamation  of  swamp  lands.  Facts  regarding  employment  of 
Chinese  in  mines.  Report  of  committee  of  1862.  The  contri- 
bution of  the  Chinese  to  the  agricultural  achievements  of  Cali- 
fornia. Chinese  labor  does  not  displace  but  supplements  white 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


labor.  Fruit-raising.  Testimony  of  Col.  Hollister,  Mr.  Hey- 
ne3rmann,  Mr.  Colton,  Mr.  Crocker,  Mr.  Estee.  Chinese  as 
operatives.  Testimony  of  Mr.  McLennan,  Mr.  Peckham,  Mr. 
Wheeler.  Chinese  in  special  industries.  Tendency  of  white 
to  displace  Chinese  labor.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Buchanan. 

Shoes,  cigars  and  clothing  still  imported  into  the  State.  Laun- 
dry work.  Advantage  to  families  of  Chinese  laundries.  Prices 
of  the  necessaries  of  life  reduced.  List  of  sixty  industries  in 
which  the  Chinese  are  not  employed.  Domestic  service.  The 
employer  entitled  to  supporf  as  well  as  the  employed 159-185 

CHAPTER  III. 

THAT  THEY  SEND  MONEY  OUT  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

The  statement  that  the  Chinese  send  considerable  sums  out  of  the 
country  unfounded.  The  views  of  the  committee  of  1862. 

When  earnings  are  large  expenses  are  large.  Laborers  seldom 
make  any  savings.  The  Chinese  not  an  exception  to  the  rule. 

The  lower  scale  of  wages  in  China  does  not  imply  that  the 
Chinese,  in  a large  sense,  are  thrifty.  Their  needs  in  Califor- 
nia different  from  those  at  home.  Cost  of  their  clothing  com- 
pared. The  Chinamen  are  epicures.  Testimony  of  witnesses. 
Chinese  restaurants  in  San  Francisco.  Absence  of  domestic 
and  other  restraints.  Employment  not  continuous.  The  gross 
earnings  of  the  Chinese  in  California.  The  amount  expended 
by  them.  Productive  nature,  of  their  labor.  When  not  pro- 
ductive it  is  still  of  value  to  the  State  in  an  economical  point  of 
view.  General  outflow  of  American  wealth  for  the  products  of 
other  regions.  Unnecessary  sensitiveness  in  regard  to  the  remit-v 
tances  of  the  Chinese 186-194 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THAT  THEY  ARE  A VICIOUS  PEOPLE. 

The  disposition  to  be  censorious  criticised.  Men  are  actuated  by 
good  motives.  Experience  among  different  nationalities. 

Race  prejunices.  Tendency  of  the  laws.  Political  considera- 
tions. The  Chinese  system  of  ethics.  Charts  of  the  ethics  of 
the  Chinese.  Confucian’ morals.  The  moral  faculties.  The 
cardinal  virtues.  Self-examination  among  the  Chinese.  The 
influence  of  the  Confucian  morals  upon  the  nation.  How  it  is 
exhibited  among  the  Chinese  in  California.  Charity  for  the 
failures  of  the  Chinese.  Habits  of  Chinese  immigrants.  Tes- 
timony ofMr.  Babcock,  Mr.  Brier,  Mr,  Colton,  Judge  Heyden- 
feldt,  Mr.  Loomis,  Mr.  Sneath,  Mr.  Brown,  Judge  Campbell, 
and  Mr.  Cooledge.  Christiantiy  among  immigrants.  Testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Deal,  Mr.  Erancis,  and  Mr.  Shearer.  The  wit- 
nesses before  the  Congressional  committee  favorable  to  the 
Chinese  were  men  of  a high  grade  of  intelligence  and  respecta- 
bility. The  Chinese  a peaceable  and  easily  governed  people. 

Their  vices  less  dangerous  than  those  of  white  men.  Statistics 
of  Californian  penal  institutions,  and  hospitals.  The  results 
shown  favorable  to  the  Chinese 195-222 


CONTENTS. 


xii 


CHAPTER  V.- 

THAT  THEY  .HAVE  SET  UP  A GOVEKNMENT  IN  CALIFOENIA. 

Statement  of  Mr.  Pixley.  Improbable  nature  of  his  declaration. 

The  subject  of  importance.  Statement  of  Mr.  King  that  the 
death  penalty  is  enforced  by  secret  tribunals.  Statement  of  the 
Congressional  commission.  No  sustaining  evidence  in  that 
taken  by  the  commission.  Certain  testimony  taken  by  the  Sen- 
ate committee  of  1876.  The  six  companies.  Mr.  Gibson’s 
description  of  their  character  and  objects.  Mr.  Pixley’s  state- 
ments regarding  the  companies.  Courts  of  arbitration  among 
the  Chinese.  Evidence  of  the  presidents  of  the  six  companies. 
Conclusion  of  the  Senate  committee  of  1876.  Mr.  Rogers’  tes- 
timony examined.  It  is  hearsay  and  uncertain.  The  Hip  Ye 
Tung  society.  An  organization  of  ruffians  for  unlawful  pur- 
poses. Failures  of  the  city  and  State  in  dealing  with  the 
Chinese.  Control  of  the  foreign  settlements  at  Shanghae  and 
Hong  Kong 223-242 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THAT  THEY  WILL  NOT  ASSIMILATE  WITH  OUR  PEOPLE. 

The  views  of  the  Chinese  on  this  matter.  The  doctrine  of  Confucius 
that  all  on  earth  are  of  one  family.  The  teachings  of  Christ. 

Virtue  the  right  basis  of  government.  Treatment  of  foreigners 
in  China  compared  with  that  of  the  Chinese  in  America.  The 
“root”  of  the  ill-treatment  of  the  Chinese.  Native  Americans 
responsible.  American  race  intolerance.  Mr.  Swift’s  views. 

“ Better  dissolve  ti'eaty  relations.”  What  is  meant  by  assimila- 
tion. The  Chinese  intelligent,  frugal,  industrious  and  peace- 
able. Their  treatment  different  from  that  accorded  to  other 
immigrants.  The  object  is  to  deal  justly  with  them  and  to 
leave  assimilation  to  work  itself  out.  The  alleged  failure  should 
gratify  anti-Chinese  partisans.  What  is  justice  ? The  real 
danger  lies  in  the  departure  from  sound  rules.  The  social  ques- 
tion outside  of  legislation.  Efforts  of  the  Chinese  to  adopt 
Western  methods.  The  educational  mission.  Views  of  Prince 
Kung 243-260 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PROSTITUTION,  GAMBLING,  CRIMINALS,  DISEASED  PERSONS. 

Prostitution  a natural  result  of  the  circumstances.  It  should  be  sup- 
pressed. The  attempt  to  hold  prostitutes  in  a condition  of 
semi-slavery.  The  supply  comes  from  Hong  Kong  and  can  be 
completely  cut  off.  Statement  of  the  means  which  may  be 
adopted.  What  has  been  done  already  in  this  connection. 
Disposition  of  the  Chinese  government.  How  prostitutes  come 
to  America.  The  nature  of  their  control.  The  Hip  Ye  Tung 
band.  An  attempt  to  break  up  the  band  and  the  cause  of  fail- 
ure. The  efforts  of  the  six  companies  to  suppress  prostitution. 
Police  officers  share  in  the  profits.  The  local  police  system. 
Officers  directly  dependent  upon  the  support  of  gamblers,  &c. 


CONTENTS. 


xiii 


Evidence  of  the  six  companies.  Money  pajonent  to  police. 
Testimony  of  Mr.  Rogers,  Mr.  McKenzie,  Wong  Ben,  Ah 
Chung.  The  police  system  has  been  improved  of  late.  Diffi- 
culties attending  government  in  California.  Fugitive  criminals. 
Diseased  persons.  Contract-laborers.  Evils  may  be  grappled 
with  under  existing  treaties 261-291 


PART  IV. 

FEARS  OF  AN  OVERFLOWING  IMMIGRATION  OF  THE 
CHINESE. 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  VIEWS  OF  ANTI-CHINESE  PARTISANS. 

There  is  no  danger  of  a large  influx  of  the  Chinese.  Examination 
of  the  declarations  which  have  been  made  on  this  subject.  The 
report  of  the  Congressional  commission.  Its  declarations  not 
sustained  by  the  evidence.  The  report  of  the  committee  on 
education  and  labor.  Its  exaggerated  tone.  The  population 
of  China.  Wages  in  China.  Fares  to  California,  &c.  The 
debate  in  the  House  of  representatives  on  the  fifteen-passenger 
bill.  Remarks  of  Mr.  Willis,  Mr.  Page,  Mr.  Haskell,  Mr. 

Davis,  Mr.  Corbett  and  Mr.  Money.  Remarks  of  Governor 
Booth,  Mr.  Jones,  Mr.  Matthews,  Mr.  Blaine.  The  “ hordes 
“of  China.”  Fares  to  California  again.  The  differences  be- 
tween the  Caucasian  and  the  Chinaman.  The  difference  over- 
looked by  anti-Chinese  partisans.  It  will  be  time  enough  to 
legislate  to  exclude  the  Chinese  when  their  tendency  to  come 
among  us  is  established 292-310 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  DEMAND  FOR  CHINESE  LABOR  FAILING. 

The  failure  of  public  men  to  examine  into  the  prospects  of  immigra- 
tion censured.  The  demand  of  the  past  exceptional.  The 
demand  failing.  The  facts  in  regard  to  the  demand  for  rail- 
road building.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Crocker,  Mr.  Strobridge, 
Mr.  Colton,  and  Mr.  Evans.  Disabilities  of  the  Chinese. 
They  are  not  acquainted  with  our  language  and  methods. 
Their  inferior  physical  force.  Testimony  of  Governor  Low, 
Dr.  Meares,  and  Mr.  Bigelow.  Swamp  land  reclamations. 
White  men  will  not  work  in  this  direction.  The  advantages  of 
reclarrfations  to  farmers  and  the  State.  Mining.  The  numbers 
involved  inconsiderable.  Wheat  culture.  The  important  work 
is  done  by  white  men.  The  aptitude  of  the  Chinese  for  higher 
grades  of  labor  examined.  They  are  hewers  of  wood,  and 
drawers  of  water.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Easterby,  Mr.  Roberts, 
Mr.  Smith,  Mr.  Olmsted,  and  Mr.  Mellon.  The  demand  for 


xiv 


CONTENTS. 


the  Chinese  illustrated  by  the  census  enumeration  of  laborers  in 
the  different  States.  Disproportion  of  agricultural  laborers  to 
the  whole  population  of  California.  The  average  size  of  farms 
in  different  States.  California  farms  large,  and  laboring  class 
small.  Farm  productions  in  different  States.  Why  so  few 
Chinese  have  come  to  California 

CFIAPTEE  III. 

THE  TAILING  DEMAND  FOR  THEIR  LABOR  CONTINUED. 

The  demand  in  fruit  raising.  As  the  population  increases  and  the 
younger  generation  comes  forward,  the  Chinese  in  less  demand. 
Fruit  raising  will  become  less  special.  The  demand  likely  to 
fall  off  in  manufacturing  enterprises.  Testimony  of  Governor 
Low,  Mr.  Heynenrann,  Mr.  McLennan  and  Mr.  Gallego.  In- 
dustries in  which  the  Chinese  do  not  take  part.  Testimony  of 
Mr.  Scott.  The  manufacture  of  shoes  and  cigars.  Tendency 
to  employ  whites  instead  of  Chinese  and  the  reasons.  Testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Buchanan  and  Mr.  Muther.  The  Chinese  as  do- 
mestic servants.  Testimony  of  Mrs.  Swift.  The  demand  for 


Chinese  labor  not  continuous  throughout  the  year.  Testimony 
of  Mr.  Bryant.  The  ebb  and  flow  of  migration 332-347 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  SUPPLY  OF  OTHER  LABOR. 

The  supply  of  labor  in  California  tending  to  increase.  The  in- 
crease of  population.  Comparison  of  the  increase  in  different 
States.  The  Northwest  has  outstripped  California.  The  rela- 
tive numbers  of  the  Chinese  in  the  State  at  different  periods. 

The  proportion  of  Chinese  diminishing.  The  tendency  of 
Eastern  immigration.  The  tide  a rising  one.  The  per  cent- 
age  of  births  in  California.  Conditions  of  life  in  California 
attractive.  Rates  of  wages  for  farm  laborers  in  different  parts  of 
the  country.  The  ordinary  laborer  paid  nearly  twice  as  much  as 
the  Eastern  laborer.  Comparison  with  European  rates.  Rates 
in  different  countries  of  Europe.  Cost  of  living  in  Europe,  in 
the  Eastern  States  and  in  California.  A large  immigration  from 
Europe  may  be  expected.  Farm  laborers  in  Europe.  Employ- 
ment of  Chinese  in  Australia 348-367 

CHAPTER  V. 

THEY  ARE  NOT  A MIGRATORY  PEOPLE. 

The  question  of  the  disposition  of  the  Chinese  to  move  out  from 
their  own  territories  considered.  Their  habits  in  this  respect 
unchanged.  No  change  can  occur  without  a warning.  Their 
occupations  of  other  territories  has  been  the  result  of  slow  growth 
and  not  of  migrations.  They  are  not  migratory  nor  aggressive. 

The  history  of  their  conquests.  The  surrounding  petty  states. 

Nature  of  the  relations  between  them  and  China.  Corea,  Lew 
Chew,  Annam,  Siam,  Burmah.  All  of  these  might  have  been 
overrun  by  the  Chinese,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  has  occurred. 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


The  outlying  districts  belonging  to  China  have  not  been  settled 
up.  The  facts  regarding  Formosa.  Unsubdued  aboriginal 
tribes  in  the  heart  of  the  empire.  The  Miau-tsz.  Manchuria. 

The  south  of  Manchuria  long  ago  settled  by  the  gradual  move- 
ment of  the  Chinese.  The  central  and  northern  parts  scarcely 
touched  by  the  hands  of  men.  The  vast  region  of  Inner  Mon- 
golia. It  is  still  unoccupied  although  suitable  for  cultivation 
and  adjacent  to  China  proper.  The  Chinese  have  made  no 
military  conquests  in  the  last  hundred  years.  The  indifference 
of  the  Chinese  in  the  recent  famine 368-386 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  QUESTION  OP  THEIR  DISPOSITION  TO  EMIGRATE  CONTlIlUED. 

The  facts  in  regard  to  the  more  distant  emigrations  of  the  Chinese. 

The  southern  Chinese  more  active  than  those  of  the  north. 

Their  more  distant  emigrations  have  been  to  countries  under 
European  domination.  A new  element  brought  into  play.  The 
inducements  held  out  by  the  more  enterprising  races.  History 
gives  no  instance  of  a spontaneous  movement  of  an  inferior  race 
into  districts  occupied  by  a superior.  The  native  races  in  the 
Asiatic  colonial  possessions  of  Europe,  inferior  to  the  Chinese. 

The  Chinese  in  the  Spanish  Philippine  possessions.  Those  in 
the  Netherlands  possessions.  Those  in  the  British  possessions 
near  the  straits  of  Malacca.  Active  assistance  given  to  the 
Chinese  immigration  into  those  districts.  Control  of  the  Chi- 
nese at  Singapore.  Secret  societies.  Chinese  members  of  the 
colonial  government.  The  Chinese  in  Labuan.  The  French 
possessions  in  Cochin  China 387-400 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  QUESTION  OF  THEIR  DISPOSITION  TO  EMIGRATE  CONTINUED. 

Emigration  to  Australia,  Peru  and  Cuba.  The  emigration  to  the 
first  of  these  deserves  especial  attention,  because  the  conditions 
there  are  sirnilar  to  those  in  California.  The  population  of  Aus- 
tralia. The  number  of  Chinese  in  Australia.  Australian  im- 
migration tainted  by  the  contract  system.  Proposecj,  regula- 
tions for  contract  emigration.  Contract  emigration  to  Singa- 
pore. Contract  emigi-ation  to  Australia.  Share  system  among 
the  Chinese.  The  contract  system  promotes  emigration.  Diffi- 
culties of  Chinese  miners  in  Australia.  Protection  of  miners. 
Earnings  in  mines.  Otlier  occupations.  Exclusion  from  gen- 
eral industries  and  the  causes.  Opportunities  in  California  and 
Australia  compared.  Remittances  to  China.  The  mercantile 
class.  Sanitary  regulations.  Women.  Arbitration  of  disputes. 
Legislation  against  the  Chinese.  Agitation.  Peru  and  Cuba. 

No  volunteer  movement  to  these  districts.  Commerce  in  labor- 
ers. Attrocities  attending  this  commerce.  Numbers  in  Peru 
and  Cuba.  The  future  of  Chinese  emigration  to  all  parts  of  the 
world.  They  will  find  their  most  appropriate  theatre  in  their 
own  hemisphere 401-420 


•'  *v 


THE  NUMBER  OF  THE  CHINESE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Spirit  of  exaggeration  characterizes  the  statements  of  anti-Chinese  partisans. 
Statements  of  mass  meeting  held  in  San  Francisco  in  1876.  State- 
ments of  counsel  before  the  congressional  joint  committee.  Statements 
in  Congress,  and  by  congressional  committees.  The  facts  as  revealed 
by  the  census  and  by  customs’  statistics  of  arrivals  and  departures. 
Probable  number  of  Chinese  in  the  United  States  in  1876-80,  not  more 
than  100,000;  in  California,  75,000.  Distribution  of  Chinese  popula- 
tion. The  misstatements  made  in  this  connection  discredit  the  state- 
ments of  anti-Chinese  partisans  in  other  directions.  The  question  of 
importance  in  connection  with  the  general  problems  involved  in  Chi- 
nese immigration. 

A spirit  of  exaggeration  has  characterized  the  utter- 
ances of  many  persons  whose  views  are  hostile  to  the 
immigration  of  Chinese  into  the  United  States,  both  when 
they  have  spoken  of  the  objections  which  may  be  urged 
against  such  immigration,  and  when  they  have  estimated 
the  number  of  those  who  have  already  reached  our  shores. 
The  latter  is  a question  of  statistics,  yet  statements  of  the 
most  random  nature  have  been  put  forward  and  have 
gained  currency.  A mass  meeting  was  held  in  Union 
Hall,  San  Francisco,  on  the  5th  of  April,  1876,  at  which 

Note. — This  chapter  was  written  as  it  was  written  in  order  to  indi- 
be fore  the  results  of  the  recent  census  cate  not  only  that  the  extravagant 
were  declared.  In-  appendix  A will  statements  referred  to  in  it  were 
be  found  an  abstract  of  the  census  unfounded,  but,  also,  that  the  data 
so  far  as  it  affects  t-.e  -uestions  in-  necessary  to  reach  an  accurate  con- 
volved which  sustains  the  conclusions  elusion  were  perfectly  available, 
reached  by  me.  I leave  the  chapter 


2 


CHINESE  IMMIGRATION. 


resolutions  adverse  to  Chinese  immigration  and  an  address 
to  Congress  were  adopted.  The  meeting  was  promoted 
by  the  mayor  of  the  city,  and  its  president  was  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  State.  Three  distinguished  citizens  were 
appointed  to  present  its  action  to  Congress.  A degree 
of  accuracy  might  have  been  looked  for  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, yet  the  address  set  forth  in  a positive  way, 
that  there  were,  at  that  moment,  200,000  Chinese  in  the 
State  and  75,000  in  the  city.*  I shall  be  able  to  show, 
as  I believe,  that  there  were  not  more  than  100,000 
Chinese  in  all  the  United  States  at  that  time,  and  that 
not  more,  perhaps,  than  75,000  of  these  were  resident  in 
California,  the  city  of  San  Francisco  included. 

I desire  to  dwell  a moment  upon  these  exaggerated 
statements  before  proceeding  to  set  forth  my  reasons  for 
believing  that  the  actual  population  was  not  greater  than 
I have  indicated  above. 

When  the  joint  committee  of  the  two  Houses  of  Con- 
gress on  Chinese  immigration  met  in  San  Francisco  on 
the  2 1st  of  October,  1876,  there  appeared  before  it  the 
“ Honorable  Frank  McCoppin,  representing  the  Senate 
“ of  the  State  of  California;  Frank  M.  Pixley,  Esquire, 
“ representing  the  municipality  of  San  Francisco;  and 
“ Cameron  H.  King,  Esquire,  who  appeared  on  behalf  of 
“ the  anti-coolie  clubs  of  the  cit)^.”'* 

The  first  of  these  said  in  his  opening  addre.ss; — “Our 
“ present  Chinese  population  is  estimated  at  1 16.000,  of 
“ which  number  about  30,000  are  domiciled  in  the  city.”  ® 
Mr.  Pixley  said; — “ I should  therefore  fix  in  my  own 
“ opinion,  and  think  we  will  be  able  to  show  to  you  by 
“ testimony,  that  the  Chinese  in  this  country,  embracing 
“ the  State  and  coast,  number  from  150,000  to  175,000.”^ 

* Gibson’s  Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  15.  tleman,  when  upon  the  witness  stand, 

*Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  9.  said; — “ We  have  250,  cx)o  Chinamen 

“Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  10.  here”!  Rep. Ch.  Im.,  p.  371. 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  12.  This  gen- 


EXAGGERATED  STATEMENTS. 


3 


Mr.  King  said; — “We  shall  prove  that  over  148,000 
“ Chinese  reside  in  our  State;  that  the  yearly  excess  of 
“ arrivals  over  departures,  has  been,  for  the  last  year, 
“ certainly  18,000,  and  that  the  ratio  of  this  number  is 
“ annually  increasing.”  ‘ 

Such  utterances  have  not  been  confined  to  special 
pleaders,  but  have  been  heard  in  Congress,  coming  from 
representatives  of  districts  where  the  facts  should  be 
accurately  known. 

Mr.  Page,  a distinguished  member  of  the  California 
delegation,  said,  in  the  House,  on  the  29th  of  January, 
1 879 ; — “ These  people  have  come  in  hundreds  and  thou- 
“ sands,  until  their  number  has  been  increased  in  the 
“ State  of  California  to  150,000.” 

Mr.  Luttrell,  another  well-known  member  from  Cali- 
fornia, in  the  course  of  the  same  debate  used  the  fol- 
lowing language; — “Not  one  of  these  one  hundred  and 
“ fifty  or  two  hundred  thousand  Chinamen  who  reside 
“ on  the  Pacific  slope,  owns  a homestead,  or  contributes 
“ to  the  good  morals  of  society  or  to  good  government.” 

Mr.  Sargent,  the  able  and  esteemed  senator,  speaking 
on  the  14th  of  February,  1879,  J — “We  want  this  legis- 
“ lation  because  the  burden  is  intolerable.  There  are 
“ now  in  California  more  Chinese  than  there  are  voters. 
“ Do  senators  weigh  that  fact  ? There  are  now  in  Cali- 
“ fornia,  at  the  time  I speak,  more  Chinamen  than  there 
“ are  voters,  and  they  are  increasing  enormously  year  by 
“ year  and  month  by  month,  restricted  somewhat  by  the 
“ tone  of  feeling  toward  them,  restricted  somewhat  by  the 
“ chance  that  Congress  may  take  action  in  the  matter,  re- 
“ stricted  somewhat  by  the  fact  that  a large  class  of  our 
“ people,  who  feel  this  oppression  the  most,  and  who  are 
“ most  restless  under  it,  have,  in  spite  of  the  cooler  coun- 
“ sels  of  those  who  are  philanthropic,  of  those  who  desire 

‘ F.ep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  12. 


4 


CHINESE  IMMIGRATION. 


“ to  prevent  scandal,  to  prevent  injustice,  sometimes 
“ shown  their  teeth  and  threatened,  seeing  that  Congress 
“ would  apparently  do  nothing  for  them,  to  take  the 
“ redress  into  their  own  hands,  and  do  the  way  the  old 
“ Germanic  nations  did,  when  they  were  threatened  wdth 
“ an  irruption  of  barbarians,  force  back  the  tide  by  every 
“ means  with  which  God  has  endowed  them.”  ' 

Mr.  Grover,  of  Oregon,  in  the  same  debate,  said; — “If 
“ it  becomes  understood  that  the  Chinese  shall  come  and 
“stay  in  peace,  it  will  not  be  half  a century  before  the 
“ Asiatics  will  outnumber  the  Americans  on  this  conti- 
“ nent.” 

And  not  only  have  special  advocates,  and  members  of 
Congress  and  senators,  spoken  in  this  way,  but  com- 
mittees of  Congress,  which  have  considered  the  subject, 
have  given  currency  to  extravagant  declarations.  The 
report  of  the  joint  committee  upon  Chinese  immigration, 
was  submitted  to  the  Senate  on  the  27th  of  February, 
1877.  The  following  language  will  be  found  in  it; — ' 

“ Their  number  in  California  at  the  present  time  is  so  * 
“ great  that  they  could  control  any  election  if  the  ballot 
“ was  put  into  their  hands.  The  number  of  adult  Chi- 
“ nese  at  the  present  time,  is  as  great  as  that  of  all  the 
“ voters  in  the  State,  or  nearly  reaching  that  number,  and 
“ they  increase  more  rapidly  than  the  other  adult  popu- 
“ lation  of  the  State.  * * This  problem  is  too  import- 

“ ant  to  be  treated  with  indifference.  * * Jt  must  be 

“ solved,  in  the  judgment  of  the  committee,  unless  our 
“ Pacific  possessions  are  to  be  ultimately  given  over  to  a 
“ race  alien  in  all  its  tendencies,  which  will  make  of  them 
“ practically  provinces  of  China,  rather  than  States  of  the 
“ Union.” 

On  the  25  th  of  February,  1878,  Mr.  Willis,  from  the 
committee  on  education  and  labor,  submitted  to  the 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  vii. 


POPULATION  IN  1S70. 


6 


House  of  Representatives  a report  from  which  I quote 
the  following  language; — “The  lowest  estimate  of  the 
“ Chinese  in  the  Pacific  States  is  1 50,000.  Accepting  this 
“ as  correct,  it  will  be  seen  that  at  the  above  rate  of  in- 
“ crease,  and  after  deducting  the  large  number  who 
“ yearly  return,  the  Chinese  population  v/ill,  in  the  near 
“ future,  exceed  the  male  adult  population  of  Americans 
“ in  those  States,  and  all  other  races  combined.  Even 
“ at  present  it  closely  approximates  the  voting  popula- 
“ tion.” 

These  .statements,  taken  at  random  from  the  mass  of 
such  statements,  indicate  the  habitual  declarations  of 
anti-Chinese  partisans  ; and  what  are  the  facts 

I find  in  the  first  place,  that  in  1870,  after  more  than 
twenty  years’  experience  of  the  migration  of  different 
races  into  California  there  were  in  the  State,  according 
to  the  Census  taken  by  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  a total  population  of  560,247,  of  which  48,823 
(including  32  Japanese)  were  classed  as  Chinese.* 

I find  in  the  next  place,  that  in  the  same  year  (1870) 
the  total  number  of  males  in  the  State  of  California  of 
the  age  of  21  years  and  upwards  was  227,256,  and  that 
the  total  number  of  Chinese  males  21  years  old  and  up- 
wards, was  36,890.* 

I find  again,  that  in  the  same  year  the  total  number  of 
male  citizens,  21  years  and  upwards,  was  145,802.® 

I find  still  again,  that  the  total  number  of  Chinese  in 
the  United  States  in  1870,  including  54  Japanese,  was 
62,736." 

It  will  be  said  at  once  that  the  Chinese  population 
must  have  increased  greatly  after  1870  and  before  the 
dates  of  the  various  utterances  to  which  I have  called  at- 

^ Census  1870,  vol.  Pop.  and  So.  ® Census  1870,  vol.  Pop.  and  So. 

Stat.,  p.  336.  Stat.,  p.  619. 

® Census  1870,  Pop.  and  So,  * Census  1870,  Pop.  and  So. 

Stat.,  p.  619.  Stat.,  p.  336. 


6 


POPULATION  IN  1876. 


tention,  that  is  to  say,  1876,  ’77,  and  ’78.  Let  us  see 
what  there  is  to  be  said  on  this  head. 

We  have  as  a basis  for  an  estimate  the  census  enumer- 
ation just  given,  that  is  to  say  for  1870,  a Chinese  popu- 
lation of  62,736. 

We  have  in  the  next  place  a tabular  statement  pre- 
sented to  the  Congressional  commission  by  Mr.  Alfred 
Wheeler,  one  of  the  witnesses  who  testified  before  it, 
giving  the  number  of  Chinese  who  arrived  at  and  de- 
parted from  San  Francisco  during  the  years  1852-76.* 
This  table  was  made  up  by  him  from  the  records  of 
the  custom  house.  The  particulars  for  the  years  1 870-6 
are  as  follows  ; — 


Year.  Arrivals.  Departures.  Gain. 

.1870 10,869  4,232  6,637 

1871  5,542  3,264  2,278 

1872  9,773  4,887  • 4,886 

1873  17.075  6,805  10,270 

1874  16,085  7.710  8,375 

1875  18,021  6,305  11,716 

1876  to  Oct.  1st 13.914  3.481  10,433 


91,279  36,684  54.595 

The  Chinese  population  at  the  end  of  1876  would 

have  been,  then 62,736 

and 54.595 


say 1 17.331 


less  the  natural  decrease  by  by  death. 

If  we  estimate  the  number  of  deaths  at  two  per  cent, 
annually  on  an  average  population  of  about  90,000,  we 
shall  need  to  deduct — • 

from 1 17.331 

say 12,600 


‘ Rep.  Ch.  Itn.,  p.  1196. 


104,731 


POPULATION  IN  1876. 


7 


In  making  this  computation,  however,  we  have  twice 
counted  the  Chinese  who  entered  the  United  States  in 
the  year  1870,  before  the  census  was  taken,  and  we  have 
not  allowed  for  the  excess  of  departures  over  arrivals  in 
the  last  three  months  of  1876  these  months  being  those 
when  the  outward  movement  usually  exceeds  the  inward. 
Taking  these  two  items  into  the  calculation,  there  seems 
very  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  number  of  Chinese 
in  our  country  on  the  last  day  of  1876  did  not  exceed 
100,000. 

Questions  may  be  raised,  of  course,  whether  the  census 
and  the  tabular  statement  may  be  relied  upon.  In  this 
connection  a comparison  of  results  for  the  preceding  ten 
years  will  be  of  interest. 

According  to  the  census  the  Chinese  population  of 


1870,  was 62,736 

and  that  of  i860 34.933 

The  increase,  therefore,  was 27,803 


The  tabular  statement  for  these  years  is  as  follows  ; — 


Year. 

Arrivals. 

Departures. 

Gain. 

Loss. 

i860 

7,343 

2,088 

5,255 

1861 

8,424 

3,594 

4,830 

1862 ■ 

8,188 

2,795 

5,393 

1863 

6,435 

2,947 

3,488 

1864 

3,911 

1,215 

1865 

3,097 

2,298 

799 

1866 

2,242 

3,113 

871 

1867.  . . . . . 

4,794 

4,999 

205 

1868 

1 1,085 

4,209 

6,876 

1869 

14,994 

4,896 

10,098 

69,298 

34,850 

36,739 

2,291 

Gain 


34,448 


8 


POPULATION  IN  iS8o. 


Taking  away  from  this  gain 34^448 

an  estimated  number  of  deaths,  say  two 
per  cent,  a year  for  six  years  on  an  aver- 
age population  of  50,000 10,000 


the  increase  for  this  period  as  derived 

from  the  table,  would  be. '24,448 


This  falls  short  of  the  increase  as  sho'vn  by  the  census 
something  over  three  thousand,  a divergence  which  is 
not  excessive  when  it  is  remembered  that  a certain  num- 
ber of  arrivals  for  1870  are  counted  into  the  census  esti- 
mate of  that  year,  while  none  at  all  are  embraced  in  the 
tabular  statement.  It  would  appear  therefore  that  the 
results  arrived  at  by  an  examination  of  the  census  and  of 
the  records  of  the  custom  house  mutually  sustain  one 
another  and  confirm  the  accuracy  of  my  estimate  of  the 
population  at  the  end  of  1876. 

The  course  of  immigration  since  1876,  is  shown  in  the 
following  statement  published  in  the  Alta  Calif or7iia 
newspaper,  of  San  Francisco; — 


Year.  Arrivals.  Departures.  Gain.  Loss. 

1877  9,906  7,852  2.054 

1878  7,418  6,512  906 

1879  6,544  6,906  362 


23,868  21,270  2,960  362 

Gain 2,598 

The  number  of  deaths  in  these  years,  at  the  ratio  of 
two  in  a hundred,  on  an  estimated  population  of  100,000, 
would  be 6,000 


Taking  from  this,  the  increase,  according  the  2,598 
table,  we  find  that  since  1876  there  has  been 

an  actual  falling  off  in  our  Chinese  population  — 

amounting  to 3,402 


DISTRIBUTION. 


9 


and  that  we  entered  upon  the  year  1880,  with  no  more, 
probably,  than  96,000  or  97,000  Chinamen  within  our 
borders. 

I shall  not  pretend  to  decide  with  particularity  where 
the  100,000  Chinese,  more  or  less,  so  enumerated,  are  res- 
ident. According  to  a table  given  in  the  census  of  1870, 
they  were  then  distributed  as  follows ; — 


California 48,790 

Nevada 3,i43 

Oregon 3,326 

Idaho 4,267 

Montana "i i,943 

Utah 445 

Washington 234 

Wyoming 143 

Other  States  and  Territories 383 


62,674 

Something  less,  then,  than  four  fifths  of  all  the  Chinese 
in  the  United  States,  were  resident  in  California  in  1870. 

If  the  same  proportion  held  in  1876-80,  the  number 
would  be  about  80,000.  I judge,  however,  that  a larger 
number  of  Chinese  have  gone  out  from  California  to 
other  portions  of  our  country  in  recent  years,  than  in 
those  prior  to  1 870.  I have  no  statistics  on  the  subj  ect, 
but  may  mention  that  Mr.  Gibson,  from  whose  book, 
“The  Chinese  in  America,”  I have  already  quoted,  writ- 
ing in  1 876,  appears  to  have  believed  that  nearly  one-half 
were  resident  outside  of  California',  and  that  Mr.  Wheeler 
at  about  the  same  date,  said: — “The  departures  inland  to 
“ Oregon,  Washington  Territory,  Nevada,  Utah,  Montana, 
“ Idaho,  and  the  States  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  can- 
“ not  be  less,  in  my  opinion,than  20,000.”^  The  latter  opin- 
ion is  sustained  perfectly  by  the  census  of  1870,  but  that 

’ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1196. 


Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  17. 


10 


MISSTATEMENTS  CENSURED. 


of  Mr.  Gibson,  while  less  likely  to  be  accurate,  is  not  to  be 
dismissed  as  devoid  of  significance.  He  has  been  more 
intimately  associated  with  the  Chinese  in  California  than 
any  other  person  of  our  own  stock,  and  must  be  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  avenues  of  employment  sought  by 
them.  It  is  natural,  too,  that  as  years  pass,  and  the  im- 
migrants become  acquainted  with  other  districts  than 
California,  they  should  go  out  into  these  districts.  We 
have  seen  some  of  them  already  in  1870  crossing  the  Si- 
erra Nevada  in  their  progress,  and  swelling  the  popula- 
tion of  Idaho,  Montana  and  Utah.  We  have  heard  of 
them  more  lately  in  the  great  cities  and  manufacturing 
towns  of  the  Eastern  States.  In  estimating  the  number 
who  have  left  California  for  other  fields  in  which  to  labor, 
at  not  less  than  25,000,  I think  I am  not  far  wrong. 

We  reach,  then,  the  conclusion  that  in  1876  the  whole 
number  of  Chinese  in  the  United  States  was  about  100,- 
000,  that  this  number  has  not  increased  since,  and  that 
the  whole  number  of  Chinese  in  California  has  never  ex- 
ceeded probably  75,000. 

Reverting  now  to  the  excessive  estimates  of  the  special 
pleaders  against  the  Chinese,  who  appeared  before  the 
Congressional  commission  of  1876,  of  representatives 
and  senators  in  Congress  and  of  the  committees  of  Con- 
gress, I desire  to  point  out  with  much  emphasis  that 
such  misstatements  are  not  to  be  defended  as  mere 
mistakes.  We  are  not  dealing  with  a subject  of  an 
indefinite  kind  in  which  misconceptions  are  natural 
and  pardonable.  The  statistics  to  which  I have  appealed 
are  as  open  to  those  who  spoke  in  an  extravagant  way  as 
they  have  been  to  me.  A grave  question  was  under  ex- 
amination, and  it  was  the  duty  of  each  one  of  the  persons 
whose  declarations  I have  quoted  to  make  no  misleading 
statements.  Yet  one  and  all  they  have  been  willing  to 
have  the  country  believe  that  the  number  of  Chinese  in 


MISSTATEMENTS  CENSURED. 


11 


our  country  is  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  per 
cent,  greater  than  the  actual  number. 

We  may  admit,  and  I most  certainly  do  admit,  that 
the  opposition  to  the  Chinese  in  California  and  in  Con- 
gress is  more  or  less  perfectly  sincere.  With  some  of  the 
gentlemen  whose  statements  I have  quoted  I am  person- 
ally acquainted,  and  I speak  with  candor  only  when  I 
say  that  the  earnestness  of  their  convictions  has  been 
thoroughly  impressed  upon  my  mind.  Yet  in  a public 
matter  of  a grave  kind  we  have  a right  to  expect  accu- 
racy as  well  as  honesty  from  the  leaders  of  public  opinion, 
and  we  cannot  but  speak  in  terms  of  grave  condemnation 
when  we  do  not  find  it. 

It  is  true  also  that  when  we  find  a lack  of  carefulness 
characterizing  the  utterances  of  the  men  who  have  made 
themselves  prominent  in  the  anti-Chinese  crusade,  when 
dealing  with  a very  important  feature  of  the  whole  busi- 
ness, we  very  naturally  and  very  positively  distrust  their 
utterances  upon  other  parts  of  the  subject,  more  particu- 
larly those  in  which  divergent  opinions  are  to  be  expected. 
It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  certain  members  of  the 
Pacific  coast  communities  entertain  honest  convictions 
that  the  presence  of  the  Chinese  among  them  is  danger- 
ous to  their  well  being  and  peace.  The  region  of  discus- 
sion involved  in  the  question  • is  largely  speculative,  and 
facts  enough  can  be  readily  arrived  at  which  will  seem  to 
sustain  in  a most  positive  way  such  convictions.  But  the 
advocates  of  this  view  are  none  the  less  representative 
men  and  citizens,  and  their  first  duty  is  to  be  accui'ate. 
When  we  find  that  they  are  not  accurate  in  a material 
matter,  and  one  in  which  it  is  easy  to  reach  the  truth, 
they  must  not  be  surprised  if  those  who  hold  to  different 
opinions  upon  the  general  subject  are  ready  to  charge 
them  with  having  allowed  the  earnestness  of  their  views 
to  overbalance  their  judgment. 


12 


IMPORTANCE  OF  ACCURACY. 


The  condemnation  to  be  meted  out  against  them  must 
be  considered  stronger  when  we  learn  that  counsel  against 
the  Chinese,  before  the  Congressional  commission,  made 
no  serious  effort  to  prove  their  statements,  that  these 
statements  were  denied  from  the  outset,  by  counsel  who 
appeared  for  the  Chinese,  and  that  the  evidence  adduced 
more  than  sustained  the  latter.  On  page  119  of  Mr.  B. 
S.  Brooks’  appendix  to  his  “ Opening  Statement  and 
“ Brief  on  the  Chinese  Question,”  will  be  found  a recapitu- 
lation of  the  census  enumerations  of  i860  and  1870,  show- 
ing the  total  population  of  Chinese  in  those  years.  As 
I have  already  referred  to  these  enumerations,  I have  no 
occasion  to  repeat  their  tenor  and  significance  here.  On 
page  1 18  of  the  same  document,  an  estimate,  by  Mr. 
Brooks,  of  the  increase  after  1870,  is  printed.  He  judged 
then  that  there  might  be  120,000  Clil.  /^-se  m all  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Wheeler’s  table  showed  that  the  aggregate 
in  1876  could  not  be  more  than  114,000.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Shearer,  another  witness,  submitted  a carefully  prepared 
statement  of  the  immigration  of  Chinese,  demonstrating 
that  their  whole  population  in  the  United  States,  at  the 
moment,  was  not  more  than  100,000.* 

It  may  be  said  that  it  does  not  matter  greatly  whether 
the  Chinese  in  the  United  States  number  100,000,  or 
150,000,  or  200,000,  but  I think  that  it  does  matter. 
Three  quarters  of  all  of  these  are  probably  in  California, 
and  we  may  feel  much  greater  sympathy  with  the  people 
of  California,  whether  as  regards  their  present  disquiet 
or  their  anxiety  for  the  future,  if  the  number  of  Chinese 
in  their  State  amounts  to  the  higher  estimates  which  have 
been  given  to  the  world.  It  is  a somewhat  startling 
statement  that  the  number  of  adult  Chinese  in  California 
“ is  as  great  as  that  of  all  the  voters  in  the  State.”  The 
fact  is  far  different,  and  it  should  be  known  to  the  world. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  513. 


IMPORTANCE  OF  ACCURACY. 


13 


I have  already  shown  that  the  number  of  citizens  in  Cali- 
fornia, in  1870,  twenty-one  years  old  and  upwards,  was 
145,802;  while  the  number  of  Chinese  males,  twenty- 
one  years  old  and  upwards,  was  36,890.  In  the  ten 
years  which  have  since  elapsed,  the  Chinese  in  California 
have  increased  about  fifty  per  cent,  but  on  the  other 
hand,  it  is  likely  that  the  population  at  large  of  the  State 
has  increased  in  an  equal  measure.  Mr.  Brooks  estimates 
the  actual  vote  of  1876  at  155,728.*  If  we  add  fifty  per 
cent,  to  the  Chinese  adult  population  of  1870,  we  shall 
have  as  their  whole  number  in  1876-80  about  55,000, 
which  is  very  considerably  less  than  “ the  number  of  all 
” the  voters  in  the  State.” 

It  will  be  surprising,  as  I believe,  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  that  misstatements  so  gravely  serious  in 
their  nature  have  passed  unchallenged  in  the  halls  of 
Congress,  and  in  the  country  at  large.  It  shows  how  far 
a very  simple  matter  can  be  misunderstood,  when  on 
the  one  side  there  is  concerned  a vigorous  party  repre- 
senting an  active  political  cry,  and  on  the  other  a disfran- 
chised class  incapable  of  fighting  its  own  battles.  But 
while  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  sentiment  of  Califor- 
nia is  very  strongly  against  the  Chinese,  we  have  a right 
to  expect  that  the  Eastern  States,  remembering  the  tra- 
ditional policy  of  the  country,  will  come  sooner  or  later 
to  inquire  into  all  the  questions  involved  in  the  so-called 
Chinese  problem,  and  that  the  misstatements  which  have 
been  put  afloat  will  receive  their  just  condemnation. 


* Br.  Ap.,  p.  131. 


V 


PART  II.— CHAPTER  I. 


THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN  CALI- 
FORNIA. RAILROAD  BUILDING. 

This  part  of  the  book  exhibits  the  material  advantages  which  have  resulted 
to  California  from  the  labors  of  Chinamen.  The  facts  recited 
taken  mainly  from  the  evidence  before  the  joint  commssion.  The 
importance  of  railroads  to  California,  because  of  the  isolated  position 
of  the  State  and  the  extent  of  her  territory.  Evidence  of  Gov.  Low, 
Mr.  Charles  Crocker,  Mr.  Strobridge,  Mr.  Colton,  and  Mr.  Evans, 
showing  that  the  trans-continental  and  other  railroads  could  not  have 
been  built  so  cheaply  and  so  quickly  without  Chinese  labor,  and  that 
the  result  has  been  such  as  to  serve  the  convenience,  comfort  and 
opportunities  for  enterprise  of  the  people  of  the  State,  and  to  promote 
immigration  from  the  Eastern  States  and  the  prosperity  of  the  State. 

I propose  to  indicate  in  this  and  the  next  following 
chapters  what  the  Chinese  in  California  have  done  to 
advance  the  material  interests  of  the  State.  I shall 
adduce  first  the  evidence  given  by  witnesses  who  tes- 
tified before  the  Congressional  committee  in  regard 
to  the  assistance  rendered  by  them  more  partic- 
ularly in  the  construction  of  railroads.  Later  chapters 
will  show  the  evidence  given  before  the  commission  in 
relation  to  other  departments  of  their  labor  ; in  the  recla- 
mation of  swamp  lands,  often  called  tule-lands  from  the 
tall,  rush-like  growth  by  which  they  are  covered ; in  min- 
ing ; in  agriculture ; in  fruit  growing ; in  manufacturing 
enterprises.  I shall  devote  a chapter  also  to  the  Chinese 
as  servants. 

It  would  be  easy  to  recite  the  facts  in  an  ordinary 
narrative  form.  My  object  is  not,  however,  to  write  out 
the  story  in  an  entertaining  way.  I wish  to  carry  the 
conviction  to  the  minds  of  my  readers  that  my  con- 


RAILROAD  CONSTRUCTION. 


15 


elusions  are  just,  and  I believe  that  I can  do  this  best  by- 
allowing  sworn  witnesses,  citizens  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia, interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  commonwealth, 
and  themselves  the  observers  of  what  they  relate,  to  tell 
the  story. 

In  this  part  of  my  work  I shall  not  even  feel  called 
upon  to  make  many  comments  upon  the  subject  matter 
of  my  writing.  The  witnesses  will  speak  for  themselves 
and  I shall  reserve  argument  for  the  later  chapters,  in 
which  I shall  deal  with  the  merits  of  objections  raised  in 
California  against  Chinese  immigration  and  with  the 
Californian  view  generally  of  the  so-called  Chinese 
problem. 

It  is  appropriate  to  adduce  first  the  evidence  offered 
before  the  commission  in  regard  to  the  labors  of  the 
Chinese  upon  the  railroads  of  California,  including  the 
great  trans-continental  line  known  as  the  Central  Pacific 
railroad,  because  these  roads  form  the  only  great  public 
works  which  have  been  constructed  in  the  State,  and 
because  their  establishment  has  affected  the  prosperity 
of  the  State  and  the  development  of  its  material  inter- 
ests in  a marked  degree. 

We  have  to  remember  in  this  connection  two  great 
considerations,  first,  the  isolated  and  remote  position  of 
California;  and  second,  the  extent  of  her  territory  and  its 
physical  features. 

California  rests  upon  the  Pacific  ocean,  but  the  sea  which 
laves  her  shores  has  no  connecting  strait  with  the  At- 
lantic until  we  have  traversed  the  whole  extent  of  the 
two  continents  to  the  southward.  The  deep  sea  voyage 
is  a particularly  long  and  difficult  one.  It  is  as  far  by 
sea  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco  as  from  the  for- 
mer to  Hong  Kong.  It  is  true  that  a railway  was  long 
since  constructed  at  Panama,  and  that  lines  of  steamers 
on  the  two  oceans  have  enabled  passengers  to  reach  Cal- 


16 


IMPORTANCE  OF  RAILROADS. 


ifornia  by  a quick  and  easy  transit  comparatively.  Yet 
this  route  has  been  an  expensive  one  and  the  process  of 
building  up  a great  commonwealth  could  go  forward  but 
slowly  so  long  as  immigrants  were  obliged  in  great  part 
to  traverse  it. 

California  occupies  the  western  side  of  our  continent, 
but  the  statement  conveys  to  the  mind,  when  taken  by 
itself,  no  adequate  ideas  of  the  difficulties  which  meet,  or 
rather  did  meet,  the  traveler  seeking  the  land  of  gold  by 
the  overland  Avay.  Our  settlements  still  remain  few  and 
inconsiderable  when  the  vast  tract  west  of  the  Missouri 
is  entered  open.  It  was  an  unknown  region  thirty  years 
ago.  And  so  soon  as  the  wayfarer  leaves  the  fertile  val- 
leys of  the  Platte  and  begins  the  ascent  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  how  uninviting  and  inhospitable  is  the  coun- 
try. The  plains,  as  they  are  called,  sweep  away  in  inter- 
minable distances,  covered  by  scanty  vegetation,  until  at 
the  summit  we  enter  upon  a vast  district  which  is  arid 
always,  which  in  winter  is  swept  over  by  arctic  winds, 
and  further  west  becomes  almost  a desert.  The  crown- 
ing danger  however  in  the  olden  time  as  it  is  the  centre 
of  interest  now,  was  the  great  snow  capped  line  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  a boundary  within  sight  of  the  happy 
land  beyond,  which  frequently  proved  impassable  to  the 
weary  and  foot  worn  adventurer. 

From  the  outset  the  enterprising  population  of  Cali- 
fornia looked  forward  to  the  time  when  the  iron  horse 
should  surmount  those  mountain  ranges,  afford  them  the 
opportunity  to  return  quickly  to  their  eastern  homes,  and 
afford  others  the  opportunity  to  seek  the  pleasant  places 
of  which  so  much  was  related,  in  an  easier  way  than  those 
who  had  preceded.  These  opportunities  came  sooner 
than  they  could  have  expected  and  the  Chinese,  so  con- 
temned and  despised  in  that  whole  region,  were  largely 
instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  result. 


TRANSCONTINENTAL  LINE. 


17 


A transcontinental  railway  was  necessary  then  for  the 
comfort  of  Californians  and  for  the  progress  of  the  State. 
Their  land  was  too  isolated,  too  remote,  and  too  difficult 
of  access  to  receive  any  great  increase  of  population  in 
its  absence.  State  after  state  has  been  admitted  into 
the  union  of  states  since  the  annexation  of  California. 
Many  of  these  have  outstripped  her  in  growth.  With  all 
her  wonderful  resources  she  was  too  heavily  handicapped 
to  make  great  progress,  and  we  see  her  to-day  with  barely 
a million  of  population. 

And  while  a transcontinental  line  was  needed  prima- 
rily for  her  development,  having  this  she  must  still  con- 
struct local  railroads  or  leave  a large  part  of  her  territory 
practically  inaccessible.  California  lacks  water  commu- 
nication, and  her  physical  features  are  such  that  trans- 
portation is  difficult  by  any  other  means  than  railways. 
It  is  boo  miles  from  her  southern  boundary  to  the  State 
of  Oregon.  Mountain  range  after  mountain  range  is 
piled  up  along  the  Pacific  coast.  A great  arid  valley 
intervenes  between  it  and  the  Sierra  Nevada.  But  one 
considerable  stream  breaks  through  from  the  great  val- 
ley to  the  sea.  Branches  of  this  stream  fall  in,  one 
from  the  northern  part  of  the  valley  and  one  from  the 
the  southern,  but  neither  is  of  magnitude  and  both  are 
affected  by  the  alternate  seasons  of  rain  and  drouth  which 
prevail,  so  as  to  be  less  satisfactory  for  purposes  of  trans- 
portation. From  the  valleys'  which  lie  between  the  par- 
allel ranges  of  the  coast  mountains,  and  from  the  great 
valley,  access  to  the  sea  is  difficult,  and  in  the  absence  of 
railways,  Californian  agriculture  would  remain  only  a 
great  possibility  of  the  future. 

Into  such  a region  an  enterprising  population  would, 
of  course,  introduce  railways,  but  how  soon  and  how  rap- 
idly would  depend  upon  a variety  of  considerations,  and 
among  these  the  supply  of  labor  would  be  one  of  much 


18 


CHINESE  LABOR. 


concern.  It  remains  now  for  the  witnesses  before  the 
Congressional  committee  to  tell  of  the  solution  of  many 
difficulties  afforded  by  the  presence  of  large  numbers  of 
Chinese  ready  and  able  to  do  such  work. 

Frederick  F.  Low,  former  member  of  Congress,  gov- 
ernor, and  minister  to  China,  was  the  first  of  all  the  wit- 
nesses examined  before  the  committee.  He  was  an 
early  settler  in  California,  and  represents  in  a high  degree, 
its  best  enterprise  and  intelligence.  At  page  75  of  the 
evidence  he  is  represented  as  testifying; — . 

“ I should  say  that  up  to  the  present  time,  Chinese 
“ labor  has  been  of  material  advantage  to  the  State,  look- 
“ ing  at  it  in  dollars  and  cents,  by  reason  of  our  isolation. 
“ The  laboring  classes  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  of  Eu- 
“ rope  could  not  get  here ; they  had  not  the  means ; the 
“ inconvenience  and  expense  of  getting  here  were  so  great 
“ that  they  could  not  come  ; but  with  the  completion  of 
“ the  railroad,  and  with  the  surging  of  the  tide  westward, 
“ coming  by  easy  steps,  from  this  time  forward,  there 
“ would  probably  be  sufficient  labor  to  replace  Chinese 
“ that  will  go.” 

Again,  in  response  to  questions  by  the  chairman  of 
the  committee,  senator  Morton; — 

“ Q,  I will  ask  the  governor  what  proportion  of  labor 
“ in  constructing  these  railroads  has  been  performed  by 
“ Chinese.?  A.  I should  think  on  the  Central  Pacific 
“ railroad,  from  my  knowledge  of  it,  four-fifths  of  the 
“ labor  for  the  grading  was  performed  by  the  Chinese ; 
“ that  is,  from  here  to  Ogden. 

“O.  In  regard  to  public  works  in  the  State,  of  every 
“ description,  what  proportion  of  them  have  been  con- 
“ structed  by  Chinese  labor.?  A.  We  have  very  few 
“ public  works. 

“ 0.  I suppose  railroads  include  most  of  them.  A. 
“ Railroads  include  most  of  them. 


GOVERNOR  LOIV’S  EVIDENCE. 


19 


“Q.  You  have  irrigating  canals,  ditches,  etc?  A.  We 
“ have,  but  I have  not  been  on  the  ground,  and  it  is 
“ very  difficult  to  judge  from  hearsay  testimony. 

“ Q.  I am,  of  course,  asking  your  general  opinion  ? 

“ A.  For  making  levees,  and  digging  ditches,  and  that 
“ sort  of  work  I think  much  the  larger  proportion  of  it  is 
“ performed  by  Chinese,  because  it  is  useful  labor,  and 
“ can  be  commanded  in  any  quantity  easily  at  any  time. 

“ Q.  In  the  reclaiming  of  swamp-lands,  the  tule- 
“ lands?  A.  In  the  building  of  levees,  much  the  larger  / 
“ proportion  is  done  by  the  Chinese,  for  two  reasons; 

“ first,  the  labor  is  cheaper,  and  secondly,  it  is  an  un- 
“ healthy  sort  of  work,  because  it  is  in  malarious  districts, 

“ and  the  Chinese  seem  to  be  constituted  something  like 
“ the  Negro;  they  are  not  affected  by  malaria  as  Anglo- 
" saxons  are. 

“ 0.  If  Chinese  had  not  come  here  could  white  labor 
“ have  been  readily  procured  to  construct  these  works 
“ you  speak  of  ? A.  It  would  have  taken  a much 
“ longer  time.  It  would  have  been  delayed.  They 
“ could  not  have  got  the  labor.  ^ 

“ Q.  Would  it  have  increased  the  expense  ? A.  Very 
“ much.  If  it  will  not  be  irrelevant  I will  state  that  I 
“ was  one  of  the  commissioners  when  the  Pacific  rail- 
“ road  was  in  the  course  of  construction  on  this  side  of 
“ the  Sierra.  I had  occasion  to  go  upon  the  road  to 
“ examine  and  report  upon  its  construction,  prior  to  put- 
“ ting  on  the  superstructure  and  while  they  v/ere  grading. 

“ I was  on  the  road  when  they  introduced  Chinese  labor. 

“ They  first  started  with  white  labor  and  they  came  to  a 
“ stand-still.  They  could  not  get  enough  to  prosecute 
“ the  work.  They  had  a foreman  named  Strobridge,  a 
“ smart,  pushing  Irishman.  Mr.  Crocker  told  me,  not 
“ once,  but  half  a dozen  times,  that  he  suggested  to  this 
“ foreman  that  they  must  come  to  Chinese.  He  said,  ‘ I 


20 


CENTRAL  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


“ ‘will  not  boss  Chinese.  I will  not  be  responsible  for  the 
“ ‘ work  done  on  the  road  by  Chinese  labor,  because  you 
“ ‘ compute  a certain  number  of  men,  and  there  is  a re- 
“ ‘ sponsibility  in  producing  a certain  amount  of  work  with 
“ ‘ them.’  They  were  offering  then,  if  I recollect  rightly, 
“ $45  a month  and  board  for  white  labor.  That  would 
“ be  more  than  a dollar  and  a half  a day,  twenty-six 
“ working  days  in  the  month.  The  thing  came  practic- 
“ ally  to  a stand-still,  and  finally  Strobridge  consented. 
“ that  they  should  put  on  Chinese  enough  to  fill  the 
“ dump-carts,  and  that  Chinamen  should  hold  the  drills, 
“ while  white  men  should  drive  the  horses  and  strike  the 
“ drills.  He  would  not  permit  a Chinaman  to  strike. 
“ He  said  they  did  not  know  how.  They  started 
“ in  that  way.  I made  frequent  visits  upon  the  road, 
“ I saw  the  progress  that  w'as  being  made  in  the  em- 
“ ployment  of  Chinese,  and  talked  with  Strobridge  about 
“ it.  In  less  than  six  months,  I think,  they  had  the 
“ Chinese  doing  everything ; not  only  filling  the  carts 
“ but  driving  the  horses,  and  Strobridge  told  me  that, 
“ taken  altogether,  the  Chinese  did  8o  per  cent,  as  much 
“as  the  whites.  They  paid  the  Chinese  $31  a month, 
“ and  they  boarded  themselves.  To  the  v/hite  laborers 
“ they  professed  to  pay,  and  did  pay,  $45  a month  and 
“ board,  which  amounted,  they  considered,  to  two  dollars 
“ a day. 

“ By  senator  Sargent.  Q.  Suppose  that  instead  of 
“ paying  $45  they  paid  $50  ? I myself  was  paying  $65 
“ at  that  time.  A.  Crocker  said  there  was  not  sufficient 
“ labor  in  the  country  ; that  he  could  not  get  it.” 

Mr.  Charles  Crocker,  well  known  throughout  the 
country  as  one  of  the  five  proprietors  of  the  Central  Pa- 
cific railroad  gave  the  following  evidence  ; — * 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  666. 


MR.  CROCKER'S  EVIDENCE. 


21 


“ O.  How  long  have  you  been  in  the  State  ? A.  I 
“ have  been  here  twenty-six  years. 

“ Q.  What  has  been  your  business  ? A.  For  the 
“ last  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  I have  been  building  rail- 
“ roads. 

“ Q.  Did  you  commence  the  construction  of  the  Cen- 
“ tral  Pacific  v/ith  white  or  Chinese  labor  ? A.  We 
“ commenced  with  white  labor. 

“ O.  How  long  did  you  continue  it } A.  We  never 
“ discontinued  it;  we  have  always  employed  white  labor. 

“ Q.  I mean  how  long  did  you  continue  with  that  kind 
“ of  labor  extensively  ? A.  We  continued  about  a year 
“ and  a half,  when  we  found  we  could  not  get  sufficient 
“ labor  to  progress  with  the  road  as  fast  as  was  necessary, 
“ and  felt  driven  to  the  experiment  of  trying  Chinese 
“ labor.  I believe  that  all  our  people  were  prejudiced 
“ against  Chinese  labor,  and  that  there  was  a disposition 
“ not  to  employ  them. 

“ O.  You  mean  that  the  railroad  people  were  preju- 
“ diced  ? A.  Yes,  sir;  especially  Mr.  Strobridge  and 
“ myself,  who  had  charge  of  the  construction,  more  par- 
“ ticularly.  I had  charge  of  the  construction,  and  Mr.  Stro- 
“ bridge  was  under  me  as  superintendent.  He  thought 
“ that  the  Chinese  would  not  answer,  considering  what 
“ they  eat,  and  other  things,  and  from  what  he  had  seen 
“ of  them  ; he  did  not  think  they  were  fit  laborers  ; he 
“ did  not  think  they  would  build  a railroad.  We  adver- 
“ tised  very  thoroughly,  and  sent  circulars  to  every  post- 
“ office  in  the  State,  inviting  white  labor,  and  offering  large 
“ prices  for  that  class  of  labor,  but  we  failed  to  get  over 
“ 800  men.  Our  force  never  went  much  above  Soovffiite 
“ laborers,  with  the  shovel  and  pick,  and  after  pay  day  it 
“ would  run  down  to  600  or  700 ; then  before  the  next 
“ pay  day  it  would  get  up  to  800  men  again,  but  we  could 
“ not  increase  beyond  that  amount.  Then  we  were  com- 


22 


CENTRAL  PA  C/FTC  RAILROAD. 


“ pelled  to  try  Chinese  labor,  and  we  tried  them  on  the 
“ light  work,  thinking  they  would  not  do  for  heavy  work. 
“ Gradually  we  found  that  they  worked  well  there,  and  as 
“ our  forces  spread  out  and  we  began  to  occupy  more 
“ ground,  and  felt  more  in  a hurry,  we  put  them  into  the 
“ softer  cuts,  and  finally  into  the  rock  cuts.  Wherever  we 
“ put  them  we  found  them  good,  and  they  worked  them- 
“ selves  into  our  favor  to  such  an  extent  that  if  we  found 
“ we  were  in  a hurry  for  a job  of  work,  it  was  better  to 
“ put  on  Chinese  at  once.  Previous  to  that  we  had 
“ always  put  on  white  men  ; and  to-day,  if  I had  a big 
“ job  of  work  that  I wanted  to  get  through  quickly,  and 
“ had  a limited  time  to  do  it  in,'  I should  take  Chinese 
“ labor  to  do  it  with,  because  of  its  greater  reliability  and 
“ steadiness,  and  their  aptitude  and  capacity  for  hard 
“ work. 

“ Q-  What  are  their  powers  of  endurance  ? A.  They 
“ are  equal  to  the  best  white  men.  We  tested  that  in  the 
“ summit  tunnel,  which  is  in  the  very  hardest  granite. 
“ We  had  a shaft  down  in  the  centre.  We  were  cutting 
“ both  ways  from  the  bottom  of  that  shaft.  The  com- 
“ pany  were  in  a very  great  hurry  for  that  tunnel,  as  it 
“ was  the  key  to  the  position  across  the  mountains,  and 
“ they  urged  me  to  get  the  very  best  Cornish  miners  and 
“ put  them  into  the  tunnel  so  as  to  hurry  it,  and  we  did 
“ so.  We  went  to  Virginia  City  and  got  some  Cornish 
“ miners  out  of  those  mines,  and  paid  them  extra  wages. 
“ We  put  them  into  one  side  of  the  shaft,  the  heading 
“ leading  from  one  side,  and  we  had  Chinamen  on  the 
“ other  side.  We  measured  the  work  every  Sunday 
“ morning,  and  the  Chinamen,  without  fail,  always  out- 
“ measured  the  Cornish  miners ; that  is  to  say  they  would 
“ cut  more  rock  in  a week  than  the  Cornish  miners,  and 
“ it  was  hard  work,  steady  pounding  on  the  rock,  bone- 
“ labor.  The  Chinese  were  skilled  in  using  the  hammer 


MR.  STROBRIDGE'S  EVIDENCE. 


23 


“ and  drill,  and  they  proved  themselves  equal  to  the  very 
“ best  Cornish  miners  in  that  work.  They  are  very  trusty, 
“ they  are  very  intelligent,  and  they  live  up  to  their  con- 
“ tracts.” 

Mr.  James  Strobridge,  the  superintendent  of  construc- 
’tion  mentioned  in  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Low  and  Mr. 
Crocker,  gave  the  following  evidence; — ’ 

“ Q.  You  had  charge  of  the  work,  did  you  not,  pretty 
“ much,  of  the  whole  Central  Pacific  railroad.^  A.  I 
“ was  superintendent  of  construction. 

“ Q.  That  gave  you  the  supervision  of  all  the  labor 
“ on  the  road.^  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  How  did  you  commence  that  road.?  A.  We 
“ commenced  it  with  white  labor. 

“ Q.  Did  you  change  to  any  other.?  A.  Yes,  we 
“ changed  to  Chinamen.  I advertised  extensively  for  men, 
“ wanted  several  thousand,  and  was  never  able  to  get  over 
“ 700  or  800  men  at  one  time.  We  increased  finally  to 
“ 10,000.  A large  number  of  men  would  go  on  the  work 
“ under  these  advertisements,  but  they  were  unsteady 
“ men,  unreliable;  some  of  them  would  stay  a few  days, 
“ and  some  Avould  not  go  to  work  at  all.  Some  would 
“ stay  until  pay  day,  get  a little  money,  get  drunk  and 
“ clear  out.  Finally  we  resorted  to  Chinamen.  I was 
“ very  much  prejudiced  against  Chinese  labor.  I did  not 
“ believe  we  could  make  a success  of  it.  I believe  Chi- 
“ nese  labor  in  this  country  on  that  kind  of  work,  never 
“ had  been  made  a success  until  we  put  them  on  there; 
“ but  we  did  make  a success  of  them.  We  worked  a 
“ great  many  of  them,  and  built  the  road  virtually  with 
“ Chinamen,  though  the  white  labor  increased  very  much 
“ after  introducing  Chinese  labor.  We  made  foremen  of 
“ the  most  intelligent  of  the  white  men,  teamsters  and 
“ hostlers.  We  increased,  I suppose,  to  2,000  or  2,500 

’ Rep.  Ch.  Im.  pp.  723. 


24 


CHINESE  IN  ROCK  CUTTING. 


“ white  men.  At  that  time  we  were  working  fully  io,ooo 
“ Chinamen. 

“ O.  Then  you  changed  your  views  as  to  the  Chinese 
“ as  laborers.?  A.  Very  much. 

“ O.  How  did  you  find  them  to  compare  in  that 
“ heavy  work  on  the  Sierra  Nevada,  tunnels,  deep  cuts 
“ and  rock-works,  with  the  white  labor  you  had.?  A. 
“ They  were  equal  to  the  white  men. 

“ Q.  They  were  equal  to  them  .?  A.  Yes. 

“ 0.  You  .had  tests  occasionally  made  there,  as  I read 
“ at  the  time  in  the  newspapers,  between  white  labor  and 
“ Chinese.  A.  Yes. 

“ 0.  Who  generally  came  out  ahead .?  A.  When 
“ they  were  working  on  a drift,  as  they  sometimes  did, 
“ if  there  was  any  difference  it  was  with  the  white  men ; 
“but  the  key  of  the  situation  was  the  summit  tunnel, 
“ which  was  very  hard  rock,  and  we  undertook  to  stock 
“that  with  the  best  of  white  men.  We  considered  them 
“ to  be  at  that  time  superior  to  Chinamen,  but  we  were 
“ unable  to  keep  the  work  filled  with  white  men,  al- 
“ though  we  only  worked  eight  hours.  We  worked  in  eight 
“ hour  shifts,  and  as  we  could  not  keep  the  work  favorable 
“ we  put  in  a gang  of  Chinamen.  Finally,  before  the 
“ work  was  half  done,  perhaps,  I do  not  recollect  at  what 
“ stage,  the  Chinamen  had  possession  of  the  whole  work. 
“ At  last  the  white  men  swore  they  would  not  work  with 
“ Chinamen  anyhow. 

“ Q.  In  that  particular  tunnel,  or  all  along  .?  A.  In 
“ that  particular  tunnel,  not  on  the  other  work.  We  al- 
“ ways  had  gangs  of  white  men.  We  employed  all  the 
“white  men  we  could  get  so  long  as  they  would  work. 

“ O.  Would  you  always  give  white  men  labor  when 
“ asked  for  it .?  A.  I do  not  think  there  was  ever  a 
“white  man  turned  away  for  want  of  a place,  to  my 
“ knowledge.” 


MR.  COLTON'S  EVIDENCE. 


25 


Mr.  David  D.  Colton  testified  as  follov/s; — '' 

“ Q.  You  are  acquainted  with  the  Southern  Pacific 
“ railroad  ? A.  I am. 

“ Q.  Are  you  the  vice-president  or  the  president  of  the 
“ company  ?.  A.  At  this  time  I am  the  vice-president. 

“ O.  You  have  constructed  it  by  Chinese  labor  I bc- 
“ lieve  .?  A.  Not  altogether. 

“ O.  I mean  principally.?  A.  A portion  of  it ; the  heads 
“ of  the  construction  departments  were  white  laborers. 

“ O.  * The  construction  of  this  road  gave  employment 
“ to  a great  many  white  men  ? A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  You  had  no  government  subsidy  I believe,  in  aid 
“ of  the  construction  ? A.  No,  sir  ; excepting  the  land 
“ subsidy. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  length  of  the  road  from  Lathrop  ? 
“ A.  From  Lathrop,  or  rather  from  Goshen,  between 
“ four  and  five  hundred  miles  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
“ line  proper  has  been  constructed. 

“ O.  A good  part  of  it  through  a farming  country .? 
“A.  A great  portion  of  it. 

“ Q.  It  has  opened  up  that  vast  country  for  settle- 
“ ment .?  A.  It  has. 

“ O.  What  class  of  people  are  and  have  been  settling 
“ there  since  the  road  was  built .?  A.  What  you  might 
“ term  an  average  class  of  the  immigrants  who  settle  up 
“ all  our  new  Territories  and  States. 

“ O.  White  immigrants  .?  A.  Pretty  much  all  white. 
“ There  are  very  few  of  any  other  kind.  They  are  mostly 
“ from  the  Western  States  ; some  are  Europeans. 

“ O.  Could  you  have  constructed  that  road  without 
“ Chinese  labor  .?  A.  I do  not  think  it  could  have  been 
“ constructed  so  quickly,  and  with  anything  like  the  same 
“ amount  of  certainty  as  to  what  we  were  going  to  accom- 
“ plish  in  the  same  length  of  time. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.  p.  599. 


26 


BENEFIT  OF  RAILROADS. 


“ 0.  You  had  several  thousand  laborers  on  the  road  ? 
“A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  Could  you  have  obtained  that  number  of  white 
“ laborers  ? A.  I think  not. 

“ O.  Has  it  not  been  your  experience  since  your  con- 
“ nection  with  the  Central  and  Southern  Pacific  railroads 
“ that  you  could  not  obtain  white  labor  ? A.  We  cer- 
“ tainly  could  not  in  that  number. 

“ 0.  What  has  been  the  effect  of  the  construction  of 
“ these  railroads  upon  the  settlement  and  building  up  of 
“ the  country.?  A.  From  my  standpoint  I think  it  has 
“ done  a great  deal  for  this  State  and  coast.  It  has  been 
“ the  means  of  opening  up  thousands  of  acres  of  land 
“ that  would  otherwise  have  lain  vacant  for  a long  time 
“ to  come. 

“ Q.  Have  the  settlements  followed  the  railroads  .?  A. 
“ Yes,  sir  ; and  constantly  increasing.  Our  railroad  con- 
“ struction  is  the  reverse  in  this  country  from  what  it  is 
“ in  any  other.  They  are  built  in  other  countries  to  take 
“ people  out.  Plere  we  build  a railroad  so  that  people 
“ may  go  into  the  wilderness  and  settle  it  up. 

“ O.  The  railroad  is  the  pioneer .?  A.  Yes,  sir. 
“ Many  districts  where  there  were  25  and  30  miles  be- 
“ tween  each  settlement,  or  farm  house,  are  now  being 
“ settled  up.  Take  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  railroad  com- 
“ pared  with  three  or  four  years  ago.  One  car  v/ould 
“ then  go  up  the  valley.  I have  been  on  the  train  when 
“ there  would  be  but  two  or  three  passengers  for  the  last 
“25  or  30  miles  of  the  road.  Now  it  takes  four  cars  to 
“ do  that  business. 

“ O.  What  has  been  the  effect  upon  the  prosperity  of 
“ the  State  of  the  construction  of  lateral  roads  .?  A.  I 
“ think  most  favorable  in  every  way.  Lateral  roads  by 
“ themselves,  would  not  be  profitable  to  railroad  propri- 
“ etors,  but  they  would  be  of  great  advantage  to  the 


SCARCITY  OF  LABORERS. 


27 


“ country  they  would  open  up.  I think  as  a rule  they 
“ have  advanced  the  value  of  lands  from  200  to  1000  per 
“ cent.  Much  of  the  land  in  the  Salinas  valley,  for  in- 
“ stance,  was  offered  to  us  at  $2  an  acre,  for  which  they 
“ are  charging  now  $25  and  $35  an  acre  since  the  road 
“ was  built  through  that  country. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  capacity  of  Chinese  and  their  in- 
“ clination  to  do  hard  work  t A.  I have  never  placed 
“ them  in  a position  where  they  did  not,  to  use  a com- 
“ mon  expression,  fill  the  bill. 

“ Q.  Did  you  see  the  work  done  on  the  Southern  Pa- 
“ cific  railroad  after  it  was  completed  } A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  Do  you  know  what  kind  of  men  were  employed 
“ there  ? A.  I have  stated  that  75  or  80  per  cent,  of 
“ our  construction  force  were  Chinamen.  I think  it  is 
“ proper  for  me  to  say  here,  that  so  far  as  my  knowledge 
“ goes  there  was  never  a white  laborer  who  wanted  work 
“ who  was  refused. 

“ Q.  What  wages  did  you  pay  them  ; the  same  as  you 
“ paid  the  Chinamen  ? A.  No,  sir  ; we  paid  them  as  a 
“ rule  twice  what  we  paid  the  Chinamen. 

“ O.  You  paid  them  twice  as  much!  Did  they  do 
“ twice  as  much  work  ? A.  No,  sir ; but  they  did 
“ teaming  and  certain  classes  of  work.  I have  never 
“ seen  a Chinaman  who  could  drive  a team  much. 
“ Teamsters  and  all  that  department  we  give  to  white 
“ men.  When  we  are  building  a bridge,  or  trestle  work, 
“ it  is  in  the  hands  of  white  laborers,  and  all  the  labor 
“ done  about  it,  outside  of  carpenter  work,  is  given  to 
“ white  laborers.” 

Mr.  West  Evans  gave  the  following  evidence  ; — ' 

“ O.  Have  you  been  extensively  engaged  in  building 
“ railroads  ? A.  Somewhat  extensively. 

“ Q.  What  labor  have  you  used  on  your  works  gen- 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  720. 


28 


SCARCITY  OF  LABORERS. 


“ erally  ? A.  In  the  manufacture  of  railroad-ties  I have 
“ used  white  labor ; in  building  railroads  I use  mostly 
“ Chinese  labor. 

“ Q.  What  kind  of  labor  is  most  satisfactory  to  you  } 
“ A.  Chinamen  give  us  better  satisfaction  generally. 

“ Q.  In  railroading  A.  Yes,  sir;  in  railroad  build- 
“ ing. 

“ O.  How  extensively  have  you  been  engaged  in  get- 
“ ting  out  railroad-ties  ? A.  I have  been  in  the  busi- 
“ ness  ever  since  the  Pacific  railroad  was  started.  I 
“ think  that  was  in  1863. 

“0.  Supplying  that  company  and  others  A.  Yes, 
“ sir. 

“ O.  How  many  v.'hite  men  do  you  employ  in  your 
“ busiest  time  ? A.  Probably  from  400  to  500. 

“ O.  Are  you  the  West  Evans  who  advertised  exten- 
“ sively  in  a newspaper  a year  or  two  ago,  for  white 
“ laborers  ? A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  What  success  did  you  meet  with.  A.  I got 
“ very  few. 

“ Q.  Plow  many  did  you  advertise  for  A.  I 
“ wanted  a hundred. 

“ O.  Plow  many  did  you  get  A.  Twenty  or  thirty, 
“ I guess.  I sent  more  than  a hundred  up  to  the  work, 
“ but  they  would  not  work  when  they  got  there. 

“0.  For  what  reason  A.  They  thought  it  was  too 
“ hard  work. 

“ Q.  How  many  did  you  retain  ? A.  From  20  to 
“ 30  ; possibly  30. 

“ Q.  Did  they  work  by  contract  or  stated  wages  ? 
“ A.  They  worked  in  building  the  railroad  by  the 
“ month,  and  in  making  ties  they  worked  by  the  piece. 

“ Q.  Which  road  was  that  ? A.  The  Mendocino 
road. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  there  is  a surplus  of  white  labor- 


NO  SURPLUS  OF  LABORERS. 


29 


“ ers  in  the  State  ? A.  I have  not  been  able  to  employ 
“ it.  I want  men  now  and  cannot  get  them. 

“ Q.  What  wages  do  you  pay  men  for  labor  ? A.  In 
“ building  the  road  we  started  men  in  on  $40  a month 
“ and  board.  If  a man  was  found  to  be  worth  more,  we 
“ paid  it  to  him. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  the  Chinese  have  been  a benefit 
“ to  the  State  ? A.  I think  so. 

“ O.  Greatly  so  A.  I do  not  see  how  we  could  do 
“ the  work  we  have  done,  here,  without  them  ; at  least  I 
“ have  done  work  that  would  not  have  been  done  if  it  had 
“ not  been  for  Chiioamen,  work  that  could  not  have  been 
“ done  without  them. 

“ Q-  White  men  can  do  any  work  that  the  Chinamen 
“ could  do  } A.  Oh,  yes  ; but,  understand  me,  I tried 
“ to  get  white  men  to  do  this  work  and  failed.” 


PART  II.— CHAPTER  II. 


THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN  CALI- 
FORNIA. RECLAMATION  OF  SWAMP  LANDS. 

Description  of  the  swamp  and  overflowed  lands  of  California.  Their  area, 
5,000,000  acres.  Their  fertility  and  value.  The  wheat  production  of 
the  State.  The  climate  favorable  to  wheat  production.  Evidence  of 
Judge  Heydenfeldt  and  Mr.  Roberts  regarding  labors  of  Chinese  in 
reclamation  works.  Laws  of  the  State  providing  for  such  enterprises. 
Legislation  to  protect  farming  lands  against  results  of  hydraulic  mining. 

The  swamp  lands  of  California  are  of  two  kinds,  those 
which  are  overflowed  by  the  tide,  and  those  which  are 
subject  to  inundation  by  the  winter  freshets.  The  for- 
mer are  situated  near  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  and  upon 
the  lower  course  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin 
rivers.  The  latter  are  found  higher  up  on  those  streams, 
and  upon  their  affluents  and  near  the  Tulare  lake. 

These  lands  are  very  extensive,  and  they  lie  often  in 
bodies  of  hundreds  of  thousand  of  acres.  A competent 
authority  estimates  their  area  at  not  less  than  5,000,000 
of  acres.*  Those  situated  nearer  to  the  bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco have  a darker  soil,  are  more  swampy,  and  appear  to 
be  more  suitable  for  the  culture  of  potatoes,  sweet  pota- 
atoes,  onions  and  root  crops  generally.  Those  higher  up 
are  dry  for  six  months  in  the  year,  and  have  a firm  rich 
soil,  v/hich  is  eminently  suitable  for  the  growing  of  wheat 
and  other  cereals.  All  of  them  are  rich  as  alluvial  soils 
only  can  be,  and  practically  inexhaustible.  Forty  bushels 
of  wheat  to  the  acre  is  said  to  be  an  ordinary  yield  on 
these  lands.  When  reclaimed  they  prove  by  far  the  best 
agricultural  lands  in  the  State  for  the  reason  that  they 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  55. 


WHEAT  CULTURE, 


31 


do  not  suffer  from  the  drouth  so  much  as  the  uplands, 
and  because  they  are  more  fertile.  Irrigation  can  be  in- 
troduced with  case,  as  the  lower  stretches  are  always 
below  the  levels  of  the  streams  higher  up. 

The  world  is  familiar  with  the  wonderful  cultivation  of 
wheat  in  California.  The  State  already  ranks  among  the 
leading  wheat  producing  States  of  the  Union.  In  1876, 
however,  but  5,500,000  acres  of  land  had  been  brought 
into  cultivation  of  all  kinds.  Much  of  this  acreage  is  sub- 
ject to  droughts,  and  to  total  failures  of  the  crops.  No  such 
disaster  can  happen  to  reclaimed  swamp  lands,  or  to  speak 
more  accurately,  lands  subject  to  overflow.  It  is  entirely 
certain  that  California  will  hereafter  produce  far  more 
wheat  than  any  other  State  in  the  Union,  and  that  the 
expense  of  production,  by  reason  of  the  fertility  of  the 
soil,  and  favorable  conditions  of  the  climate,  will  be  much 
less  than  elsewhere.  No  rain  falls  during  the  harvesting 
season,  and  grain  may  be  stacked  in  the  open  field  or 
left  in  great  piles  uncovered,  without  danger.  The  ad- 
vantages to  the  farmer  of  this  security,  and  of  similar 
security  in  the  shipment  of  his  produce,  must  count  for  a 
great  deal.  The  very  features  of  the  climate  of  California, 
the  alternate  seasons  of  rain  and  drought,  which  occasion 
inundations  in  the  winter,  and  leave  the  streams  to  choke 
up  with  the  sands  rolled  down  from  the  mountains  in 
summer,  are  particularly  favorable  to  the  growth  of  wheat 
and  to  many  other  branches  of  agriculture.  The  problem 
for  California  is,  largely,  to  work  out  the  means  by  which 
higher  lands  may  be  irrigated  and  lower  lands  protected 
from  overflow.  There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the 
necessary  measures  will  be  taken,  and  that  the  result  will 
be  to  make  California,  whose  territory  is  nearly  as  exten- 
sive as  that  of  France,  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  com- 
monwealth of  States. 

The  witnesses  before  the  Congressional  commisson 


32 


RECLAMATION  WORKS. 


who  spoke  more  particularly  of  the  reclamation  of  swamp 
lands  were  Solomon  Heydenfeldt  and  George  D.  Roberts. 
The  former  had  been  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  California,  and  for  some  time  counsel  for  a re- 
clamation association,  called  the  Tide  Land  Reclamation 
Company.  The  latter  was  a large  owner  of  such  lands, 
and  had  been  actively  engaged  in  reclamations. 

Mr.  Heydenfeldt  testified  as  folllows  ; — 

“ O.  It  was  considered  a very  hazardous  thing  to 
“ undertake  the  reclamation  of  these  lands  A.  Very. 

“ O.  Capital  was  diffident  about  taking  hold  of  it 
“ A.  Very  ; and  is  yet. 

“ O.  There  has  been  a large  area  of  these  land  re- 
“ claimed  and  brought  into  market } A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  What  labor  has  been  used  to  do  that  t A.  Chinese 
“ labor. 

“ 0.  Could  they  get  white  labor  to  do  that  work  ? 
“ A.  I imagine  not.  I do  not  see  where  it  could  have 
“ been  obtained.  I do  not  think  our  white  laborers 
“ would  care  to  undertake  it.  They  are  generally  in 
“ favor  of  undertaking  something  a good  deal  easier  than 
“ that,  and  something  that  pays  better. 

“ O.  There  are  contractors  among  them  ? A.  There 
“ are  contractors  among  them  for  large  works  such  as  re- 
“ clamation,  &c.  That  I am  familiar  with.  They  show 
“ a great  deal  of  executive  ability.  A contractor  will 
“ undertake,  for  instance,  to  build  a levee,  and  furnish  so 
“ m.any  hands,  keep  them  employed,  &c.,  and  engage  to 
“ do  work  in  a certain  time.  In  the  management  and 
“ conduct  of  business  Chinamen  show  a great  deal  of 
“ executive  ability.” 

Mr.  Roberts’  testimony  was  as  follows  ; — ^ 

“ O.  You  arc  the  president,  manager,  or  main  officer  of 
“ the  Tide  Land  Reclamation  Company.?  A.  Yes,  sir. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  504. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  436. 


CHINESE  LABOR. 


33 


“ Q.  How  long  have  you  been  a resident  of  this  State? 
“ A.  I arrived  here  in  1850. 

“ Q.  You  have  been  engaged  in  business  enterprises 
“ since  that  time  to  develop  the  interests  of  this  coast,  1 
“ believe  ? A.  Always. 

“ Q.  How  much  tule  land  has  your  company  re- 
“ claimed  ? A.  The  tide  land  company  proper  started 
“ in  with  120,000  acres.  They  have  been  reclaiming  por- 
“ tions  of  it,  but  not  on  a large  scale  until  recently.  I sup- 
“ pose  we  have  partially  reclaimed  30,000  or  40,000  acres. 

“ Q.  Will  you  explain  to  the  commission  what  you 
“ mean  by  tule  lands  ? A.  We  call  the  overflowed 
“ lands  forming  the  delta  of  the  Sacramento  and  San 
“ Joaquin  rivers,  tule  lands,  and  also  lands  on  the  margins 
“ of  the  rivers  farther  up. 

“ Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  the  reclamation  of  tule 
“ lands,  what  kind  of  work  is  it  ? A.  Building  dikes, 
“ gates  and  ditches,  preventing  the  overflow. 

“ Q.  What  species  of  labor  have  you  been  employ- 
“ ing?  A.  Generally  Chinamen. 

“ Q.  How  do  you  employ  these  Chinamen?  A. 
“ Generally  by  contract.  In  building  the  dikes,  we  con- 
“ tract  by  the  yard,  so  much  a yard.  We  go  to  some  of 
“ the  Chinese  merchants  or  business  men,  and  tell  them 
“ we  want  to  give  a contract  for  a certain  number  of 
“ miles  of  levee.  They  will  contract,  then,  sometimes  in 
“ large,  sometimes  in  small  bodies  of  land.  Sometimes 
“ the  contracts  are  for  five,  six,  seven,  eight  hundred  or 
“ a thousand  yards,  and  sometimes  less,  with  one  individ- 
“ ual,  as  the  case  may  be.  We  pay  so  much  a yard,  and 
“ measure  the  work  after  it  is  done,  and  they  receive 
“ their  pay. 

“Q.  Do  they  generally  perform  their  part  of  the  work 
“ faithfully?  A.  We  have  had  very  little  difficulty  with 
“ them.  The  work  is  generally  very  satisfactory. 


34 


CONTRACT  SYSTEM. 


“ Q.  Could  you  reclaim  these  lands  with  white  labor? 

“ A.  Not  successfully  at  this  time.  I do  not  think 
“ that  we  could  get  the  white  men  to  do  the  work.  It 
is  a class  of  work  that  white  men  do  not  like.  We 
“ have  tried  them  to  a certain  extent.  The  special  ad- 
“ vantage  of  Chinese  labor  in  work  of  that  kind  is  owing 
“ to  the  contract  system.  They  form  little  communities 
“ among  themselves,  forty  or  fifty  or  a hundred,  and  they 
“ are  jointly  interested  in  the  contract.  We  could  not 
“ get  white  men  to  do  that.  They  would  not  be  harmo- 
“ nious  and  agree  among  themselves,  but  the  Chinese  form 
“little  families  among  themselves,  do  their  own  cooking, 
“live  in  little  camps  together,  and  the  work  is  staked  off 
“for  them  separately.  We  first  give  a large  contract  to 
“one  or  two  Chinamen,  and  they  sublet  it  in  smaller 
“contracts;  that  is  the  general  system.  White  labor 
“ could  not  be  worked  in  that  way  at  all. 

“ Q.  Are  those  lands  entirely  waste?  A.  Entirely 
“ waste;  worth  nothing  at  all;  overflowed  by  high  tides, 
“ and  grown  up  with  weeds  and  useless ; entirely  useless. 

“ Q.  What  do  these  lands  cost  you  in  that  condition  ? 
“ A.  Originally  they  cost  very  little;  that  is  to  the  orig- 
“ inal  locators  they  cost  nothing.  The  State  gave  them 
“ to  the  settlers,  or  people  who  wished  to  locate  them, 
“ which  is  about  the  same  thing.  We  paid  nominally  a 
“ dollar  an  acre  to  the  State,  and  when  it  is  reclaimed 
“ that  dollar  is  credited  to  us  and  we  get  it  back.  Of 
“ course  the  lands  changed  hands  before  they  came  into 
“ the  hands  of  the  parties  who  reclaimed  them. 

“ Q.  Before  you  did  anything  toward  reclaiming 
“ them,  what  did  they  probably  cost  your  company?  A. 
“ I bought  a large  amount  of  these  lands  myself.  I at 
“ one  time  owned  a quarter  of  a million  of  acres,  and 
“ then  formed  a tide  land  company  or  association.  I 
“ paid  all  the  way  from  two  to  three  dollars  an  acre, 


PROFITS  OF  RECLAMATION. 


35 


“ although  in  some  cases  I got  it  for  half  a dollar  an  acre. 

“ I had  to  pay  a dollar  to  the  State  besides. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  average  cost  of  reclamation  an 
“ acre  1 A.  We  are  reclaiming  about  forty  thousand 
“ acres  at  six  or  seven  dollars  an  acre,  it  being  a large 
“ tract,  but  we  have  some  on  Grand  Island  upon  which 
“ I suppose  that  we  have  spent  $25  an  acre.  It  depends 
“ on  the  size  of  the  piece  used  and  the  difficulties  to  be 
“ overcome. 

“ 0.  What  is  the  land  worth  per  acre  after  its  recla- 
“ mation  .?  A.  That  depends  on  its  locality.  There  is 
“ a difference  in  value.  It  is  worth  from  $20  an  acre  up 
“ to  $100  probably.  We  paid  for  four  or  five  thousand 
‘‘  acres  a day  or  two  ago,  $25  an  acre. 

“ Q.  Then  perhaps  there  is  an  average  of  $75  an 
“ acre A.  After  it  is  thoroughly  reclaimed.  There 
“ have  been  a great  many  failures  in  reclamation,  from 
“ faults  in  the  construction  of  the  levees  ; that  they  were 
“ too  small. 

“ Q.  They  (the  Chinese)  have  added  then,  materially 
“ to  the  wealth  of  California,  in  your  opinion  ? A.  In 
“ my  opinion  the  aggregate  product  of  the  wealth  pro- 
“ duced  by  Chinamen  in  this  State  is  equal  to  our  mines, 

“ including  the  mines  of  Nevada  and  Dakota.  Probably 
“ they  produce,  sixty,  eighty  or  ninety  millions  a year  in  • 
“ wealth.” 

The  evidence  thus  adduced  touches  this  great  subject 
in  the  most  imperfect  way.  In  fact  the  reclamation  of 
swamp  lands  was  in  its  earliest  stages  when  the  commis- 
sion sat.  A great  deal  of  work  of  the  sort  has  been  done 
since.  Writing  at  a distance  from  California  and  without 
access  to  statistical  or  other  detailed  information,  I am 
not  able  to  state  what  has  been  done.  I know,  however, 
that  this  branch  of  enterprise  is  enlisting  the  attention  of 
farmers  and  capitalists  in  a marked  degree,  and  that  the 


36 


MINING. 


Legislature  of  California  has  passed  laws  intended  to 
make  reclamation  of  large  bodies  of  land  owned  by  many 
proprietors,  more  easy.  These  laws  provide  for  the  crea- 
tion of  reclamation  districts,  for  the  choice  of  trustees, 
for  the  issue  of  bonds  and  for  the  distribution  of  charges 
among  the  proprietors.  Such  enterprises  have  been 
made  more  difficult  by  the  washing  down  of  the  moun- 
tain sides  for  gold,  the  debris  being  precipitated  upon 
the  lower  country,  choking  the  streams,  and  preventing 
them  from  carrying  off  in  some  instances  even  the  nor- 
mal flow  of  water.  The  Legislature  has  at  the  moment 
under  consideration  the  measures  necessary  to  check  this 
evil.  It  is  v/ell  known  that  the  owners  of  lands  subject 
to  overflow  have  been  active  in  urging  legislation,  and 
this  fact  shows  how  eaimest  they  are  and  how  highly  they 
esteem  the  property  in  question. 

I cannot  do  better  than  close  this  chapter  by  quoting 
from  the  opening  argument  of  Mr.  Brooks  before  the 
Congressional  commission,  the  following  paragraph 

“ I asked  a former  Surveyor  General  of  this  State  to 
“ estimate  the  increase  in  the  value  of  the  property  of 
“ this  State  created  by  Chinese  labor  in  the  building  of 
“ railroads,  and  in  reclaiming  tule  lands  alone,  and 
“ the  amount  he  gave  me  is  $289,700,000.  That  is  the 
• “ wealth  which  a hundred  thousand  Chinese  have  added 
“ to  California.  It  is  wealth  owned,  held  and  enjoyed  by 
“ white  men,  and  not  Chinamen.  The  Chinamen  do  not 
“ carry  it  away  v/ith  them  ; they  could  not  even  if  they 
“ wished  to  do  so.” 


PART  IL— CHAPTER  III. 


THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN 
CALIFORNIA.  MINING. 

The  Chinese  have  met  many  difficulties  in  mining.  The  foreign-miners  tax. 
Discrimination  against  them.  Abuse  of  the  law  by  tax-collectors. 
Hostility  of  the  mining  class  at  large.  Outrages  perpetrated  upon  them. 
Report  of  a committee  of  the  Legislature  of  California  in  I862.  Evi- 
dence of  Mr.  Colton,  Mr.  Speer,  Mr.  Clarke  and  Mr.  Degroot  regard- 
ing the  work  done  by  the  Chinese  in  the  mines,  and  their  efficiency  as 
miners.  Aggregate  production  of  precious  metals  by  the  Chinese,  and 
advantages  to  the  State  and  country. 

It  is  to  be  said  at  the  outset  that  the  Chinese  who 
have  been  disposed  to  work  as  miners  in  California  have 
been  subjected  to  many  disabilities.  These  have  been 
enforced  in  part  by  legislation  of  a persistently  hostile 
character,  and  in  part  have  resulted  from  the  hostility  and 
lawlessness  of  the  mining  class  at  large. 

An  Act  passed  May  4th,  1852,  provided  that  a license 
tax  of  $3  a month  should  be  levied  upon  foreigners  work- 
ing in  placer  and  quartz  mining,  “ inasmuch  as  they  are 
“ not.  liable  to  the  same  duties  as  American  citizens 
“whilst  they  enjoy  the  same  privileges.”'  It  also  pro- 
vided that  companies  employing  foreigners  should  pay 
the  tax  and  that  foreigners  not  paying  the  license  could 
not  sue  or  defend  in  the  courts. 

This  tax  was  raised  by  the  Act  of  March  30th,  1853,  to 
$4  a month,  and  by  an  amendatory  Act  of  May  13th, 
1854,  it  was  made  applicable  “to  persons  not  being  citi- 
“ zens  of  the  United  States,  or  who  shall  not  have  de- 
“ dared  their  intention  to  become  such.” 

* Br.  of  Leg.,  etc.,  p.  10,  el  seq. 


38  DISABILITIES  OF  CHINESE  MINERS. 

As  the  Chinese  alone  of  all  foreigners  were  not  permit- 
ted to  declare  their  intention  to  become  citizens  the  bur- 
dens imposed  by  these  laws  were  thrown  upon  them. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1855,  an  Act  was  passed  fixing 
the  rate  of  the  foreign-miners  tax  at  $4  a month,  as  to 
all  foreigners  “eligible  to  become  citizens  of  the  United 
“ States,”  and  as  to  all  foreigners  “ ineligible  to  become 
“ citizens  of  the  United  States,”  it  was  further  provided 
that  for  each  successive  year  it  should  be  augmented  at 
the  rate  of  $2  a month. 

Mr.  Brooks  well  remarks  that  “as  in  a few  years  no 
“ human  industry  could  pay  the  tax  imposed  by  this  law, 
“ it  is  manifest  that  the  object  was  not  to  impose  a tax, 
“ but,  under  the  pretense  of  taxation,  to  drive  the  objects 
“ of  it — the  Chinese — from  the  State.” 

This  Act  was  repealed  in  1856,  but  the  tax  appears  to 
have  been  continued  at  the  rate  of  $4  a month,  probably 
by  re-enactment  of  the  law  of  1853.* 

On  the  17th  of  May,  1861,  another  law  was  passed 
which  is  quoted  in  Mr.  Loomis’  testimony  before  the 
Congressional  commission,  as  follows; — ^'“No  person, 
“ unless  he  is  a citizen  of  the  United  States,  or  shall 
“ have  declared  his  intention  to  become  such,  (Califor- 
“ nia  Indians  excepted,)  shall  be  allowed  to  take  or  ex- 
“ tract  gold,  silver  or  other  metals  from  the  mines  of 
“ this  State,  or  hold  a mining  claim  therein,  unless  he 
“ shall  have  a license  therefor  of  $4  a month.” 

It  is  stated  in  Mr.  Loomis’  testimony  that  this  Act  was 
declared  unconstitutional,  but  that  it  was  enforced  for  a 
series  of  years,  until  1871  or  1872. 

Such  laws  honestly  administered  would  be  sufficiently 
burdensome,  but  it  would  appear  that  grave  abuses  at- 
tended the  collection  of  the  tax.  Mr.  Gibson  quotes  from 


* Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  239. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  477. 


FOREIGN-MINERS  TAX. 


39 


the  Nevada  Journal  as  follows  ; — ' “ There  is  a species  of 
“ semi-legalized  robbery  perpetrated  upon  the  Chinese. 

“ Many  of  the  collectors  are  gentlemen  in  every  sense  of 
“ the  word,  but  there  are  others  who  take  advantage  of 
“ their  position  to  extort  the  last  dollar  from  the  poverty- 
“ stricken  Chinese.  They  date  licenses  back,  exact  pay  in 
“ some  instances  for  extra  trouble  in  hunting  up  the  terri- 
“ fied  and  flying  Chinamen,  and,  by  various  devices,  fatten 
“ themselves  upon  the  spoils  thus  obtained.  The  com- 
“ plaints  of  the  injured  and  oppressed  find  no  open  car,  for 
“ is  it  not  declared  by  the  Supreme  Court,  the  highest 
“ tribunal  in  the  land,  that  their  oaths  are  not  to  be  re- 
“ garded  } Of  what  avail  are  their  complaints,  uttered 
“ with  the  solemnity  of  an  oath  ? Under  this  state  of 
“ things  the  life  of  a Chinaman  in  California  is  one  of 
“ hardship  and  oppression.” 

Mr.  Gibson  gives  another  newspaper  item,  but  does  not 
state  from  what  journal ; — ^ “A  foreign-miners  tax  col- 
“ lector  may  be  a good  man,  and  be  honest  and  lenient, 

“ but  his  commission  does  not  hinder  him  from  being 
“ the  opposite  ; it  really  tends  to  maTe  him  so.  He  may 
“ exercise  fiendish  cruelty,  and  plead  the  necessity  of 
“ doing  his  duty.  ‘ I was  sorry  to  have  to  stab  the  poor 
“ ‘ fellow ; but  the  law  makes  it  necessary  to  collect  the 
“ ‘ tax;  and  that’s  where  I get  my  profit.’  ‘ He  was  run- 
“ ‘ ning  away  and  I shot  to  stop  him.  I didn’t  think  it 
“ ‘ would  hit.’  ‘ I took  all  the  dust  he  had.  There  were 
“ ‘ seven  of  them  besides  and  they  didn’t  pay  me  last  j; 
“ ‘ month.’  ” ^ 

It  was  a matter  of  certainty  that  abuses  such  as  those 
indicated  would  take  place  and  would  press  hardly  upon 
Chinese  miners.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  there  was 
much  lawlessness  in  the  early  days  of  California  in  the 
mining  districts,  and  a very  lax  administration  of  regula- 

'Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  236.  ® Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  235. 


40 


ITS  ABUSE. 


tions  intended  to  secure  order  and  to  defend  the  rights  of 
individuals.  Officers  to  collect  the  tax  would  be  chosen 
often  from  the  very  class  disposed  to  oppress  them,  and 
the  facility  with  which  such  a purpose  could  be  carried 
out,  would  lead  unscrupulous  persons  to  seek  the  posi- 
tions. The  Chinamen  strange  to  the  country,  unac- 
quainted with  its  laws,  not  _ familiar  even  with  its  lan- 
guage, timid  by  nature,  would  submit  to  extortion  with- 
out an  attempt  to  secure  redress. 

While  I am  writing,  some  remarks  of  Mr.  Speer,  the 
author  of  “China  and  the  United  States,”  fall  under  my 
notice.  He  says  ; — ^ “It  was  the  saddest  feature  of  the 
“ terrible  trials  of  the  Chinese  that  so  many  of  them  were 
“ inflicted  in  the  name  of  the  law.  The  license  law  of  the 
“ State  subjected  all  foreigners  not  eligible  to  citizenship, 
“ to  a monthly  tax  of  four  dollars.  This  was  applied  by 
“ the  tax  collectors  solely  to  the  case  of  the  Chinese,  and 
“ many  of  them  ranged  continually  over  the  mining  dis- 
“ districts  equipped  with  blank  licenses.  They  often 
“ obliged  the  Chinese  in  camp  to  pay  the  mining  tax, 
“ though  they  might  not  be  engaged  in  mining,  and  were 
“ traders  in  goods,  or  engaged  in  other  work,  or  transient 
“ visitors,  or  even  sometimes  though  they  were  invalids, 
“ who  were  disabled  by  fever  or  rheum.atism  or  accidents. 
“ They  frequently  came  back  before  the  month  was  out, 
“ or  one  would  follow  another  giving  fictitious  receipts. 
“If  the  men  refused  to  pay,  they  struck,  stabbed  or  shot 
“ them;  perhaps  tied  them  to  a tree  and  whipped  them; 
“ perhaps  drove  them  on  foot  with  a horsewhip,  the  col- 
“ lector  riding  behind,  lashing  them  as  they  ran,  to  some 
“ town  where  they  could  exercise  other  compulsory  meas- 
“ ures.  A tax  collector  in  the  mountains  once  related  to 
“a  company  of  persons  in  my  hearing,  in  great  glee,  how 
“he  had  so  run  some  Chinamen  on  a dark  night,  when 


‘ Ch.  and  the  U.  S.,  p.  575. 


OUTRAGES  BY  INDIVIDUALS. 


41 


“ the  ground  was  covered  Avith  snow,  in  Avhich  they  often 
“ fell  down,  he  yelling  and  lashing  them  from  his  horse. 
“ The  collectors  were  often  followed  by  cormorants  to 
“ Avhom  they  sold  for  a trifle,  the  property  of  Chinamen 
which  they  had  forfeited  for  non-payment,  and  when 
“there  were  none  so  to  purchase,  these  officials  some- 
“ times,  in  mere  wantonness,  destroyed  bedding,  boots  and 
“ other  articles.” 

The  grievous  wrongs  to  which  the  Chinese  in  the 
mines  were  subjected  by  individuals  not  officers  of  the 
law,  will  be  indicated  by  the  following  further  extract 
from  the  same  chapter  of  Mr.  Speer’s  book. 

“A  company  of  Chinese  had  purchased  at  a large  sum 
“ some  claims  covering  the  bed  of  a river,  and  undertaken 
“ to  turn  the  stream,  in  order  to  reach  the  gold  deposited 
“there,  as  is  often  done  by  Americans.  A quiet  little 
“ settlement  was  formed  on  the  bank,  and  two  firms  of 
“ Chinese  merchants  set  up  stores  there.  A large  amount 
“ of  money  was  expended  for  lumber  and  other  necessary 
“ articles.  The  work  was  successful,  the  Chinese  began 
“ to  reap  the  reAvard  of  their  toil  and  outlay. 

“ One  dark  night  a band  of  seven  armed  white  men 
“ suddenly  appeared  in  the  camp.  Attacking  the  unsus- 
“pecting  Chinese  Avith  unearthly  yells  and  firing  their 
“ pistols  among  them,  they  put  them  to  flight  and  chased 
“ them  to  some  distance  from  the  spot.  They  proceeded 
“ to  seize  the  gold  that  could  be  found.  They  then  en- 
“ tered  the  stores  and  plundered  them  of  money  and  such 
“ articles  as  Avere  of  any  use  to  them,  to  the  value  of  tAvo 
“thousand  dollars.  To  end  the  Avork  they  set  fire  to  the 
“ buildings,  and  by  the  light  thus  made,  carried  their 
“ plunder  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  where  they 
“ composedly  sat  themselves  doAvn  as  proprietors  of  the 
“ the  whole  claim  by  right  of  possession. 

“ Some  friends  of  the  Chinese  brought  suit  against 


42 


DENIALS  OF  JUSTICE. 


“these  scoundrels  before  a neighboring  justice  for  the 
“ restoration  of  the  property.  In  defence  the  men  set  up 
“a  remarkable  plea.  It  was  simply  this,  that  they 
“thought  the  Chinese  could  not  work  the  claim  to  so 
“good  avantage  as  they  could;  and  what  is  still  more 
“remarkable,  their  friend,  the  justice,  gave  a decision  in 
“ their  favor  on  the  ground  of  this  plea  ! The  friends  of 
“the  Chinese  next  tried  to  bring  an  action  against  these 
“ men  at  the  county-seat  for  larceny  and  incendiarism. 
“ But  though  some  Americans  in  the  vicinity  of  the  place 
“had  seen  the  fire,  and  the  carrying  of  the  goods  across 
“the  river,  none  were  found  willing  or  able  to  identify 
“the  robbers.  The  Chinese  who  knew  them  were  not 
“permitted,  according  to  law,  to  bear  witness  against 
“white  men.  The  result  was  that  the  perpetrators  of 
“these  crimes  rvent  free  and  remained  in  possession  of 
“ the  property  which  they  had  so  summarily  made  their 
“ own.  The  industrious  Chinamen  beggared  and  in  debt 
“were  forced  to  leave  the  place.” 

The  recitals  thus  given  are,  no  doubt,  of  an  extreme 
character.  I should  be  the  last  person  to  forget  that 
among  the  Americans  who  worked  in  the  placer  mines 
of  California,  in  earlier  and  later  times,  were  men  of 
excellent  origin,  and  that  they  took  measures,  as  a 
rule,  which  served  the  interests  of  justice.  I do  not 
doubt  that  Chinamen  found  often  chivalric  defenders 
stepping  forward  for  their  protection.  I would  not  for  a 
moment  suppose  that  all,  or  even  a considerable  portion 
of  the  tax  collectors  were  inhuman  or  dishonest.  Yet, 
men  are  largely  what  their  surroundings  tend  to  make 
them,  and  the  evidence  of  the  injustice  and  outrages  to 
which  the  Chinese  were  subjected,  is  too  strong  to  be 
doubted.  Such  testimony,  in  the  form  of  contempor- 
aneous newspaper  statements,  have  been  gathered  to- 
gether for  the  period  from  1S55  to  1876,  by  Mr.  B.  S. 


COMMITTEE  OF  1862. 


43 


Brooks/  The  measure  of  the  wrongs  perpetrated  upon 
them  in  early  days  will  be  indicated  sufficiently  for  my  pre- 
sent purpose,  by  the  following  extract  from  the  report  of  a 
committee  of  the  two  Houses  of  the  California  Legisla- 
ture, dated  March  lith,  1862/  It  bears  the  signature  of 
R.  F.  Perkins,  chairman  of  the  Senate  committee,  O. 
Harvey  and  G.  K.  Porter,  senators ; John  E.  Benton, 
chairman  Assembly  committee,  and  G.  W.  Seaton  and 
W.  W.  Battles,  members  of  the  Assembly  ; — 

“ Your  committee  were  furnished  with  a list  of  eighty - 
“ eight  Chinamen,'  who  are  known  to  have  been  murdered 
“ by  white  people,  eleven  of  which  number  are  hiown  to  have 
“ been  murdered  by  collectors  of  the  foreign-miners  license 
“ tax,  szvorn  officers  of  the  law.  But  two  of  the  murderers 
“ have  been  convicted  and  hanged.  Generally  they  have 
“ been  allozved  to  escape  zvithout  the  slightest  punishment. 

“ The  above  number  of  Chinese  who  have  been  robbed 
“ and  murdered,  comprise  probably  a very  small  proportion 
“ of  those  who  have  been  murdered ; but  they  are  all  which 
“ the  records  of  the  different  companies  or  societies  in  this 
“ city  show.  It  is  a well  known  fact  that  there  has  been 
“ a wholesale  system  of  wrong  a7id  outrage  practiced  upon 
“ the  Chinese  popidation  of  this  State,  which  would  dis- 
“ grace  the  most  barbarous  nation  upon  earth'.’ 

I know  nothing  of  the  persons  who  formed  this  com- 
mittee ; I suppose  that  they  were  fair  representatives  of 
the  earlier  legislators  of  the  State,  men  who  had  been 
more  or  less  trained  in  the  Eastern  States,  and  had  not 
learned  the  abject  ways  of  later  California  politicians. 
At  any  rate,  their  report  seems  to  have  been  signed  by 
all  the  members  of  the  committee,  and  it  stands  uncon- 
tradicted to  this  day.  The  men  of  California  must  prove 
it  false  before  they  claim  to  appear  before  the  world  with 
clean  hands  in  this  matter  of  Chinese  immigration. 

‘Op.  St.  and  Br.,  p.  1-72.  “Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1192. 


44 


CHINESE  AS  MINERS. 


I shall  have  more  to  say  about  outrages  upon  the 
Chinese,  in  later  chapters.  For  the  moment,  I have  gone 
far  enough  to  indicate  that  they  met  many  discourage-  ' 
ments  in  mining  enterprises,  and  that  it  is  almost  a matter 
for  surprise  that  they  shouid  have  made  any  efforts  in  this 
direction. 

The  apitude  of  the  Chinese  as  miners  is  shown  in  the 
following  evidence. 

Mr.  D.  D.  Colton,  from  whose  testimony  I have  already 
quoted  in  the  chapter  regarding  the  assistance  given  by 
them  in  railway  building,  said  ; — ^ 

“ O.  What  is  the  capacity  of  these  men,  and  their 
“ inclination  to  do  hard  work  ? The  question  has  been 
“ raised  as  to  their  selection  of  light  work,  and  about  their 
“ being  unwilling  to  do  hard  work  ; how  is  that  ? A.  I 
“ never  have  placed  them  in  any  position  where  they  did 
“ not,  to  use  a common  expression,  fill  the  bill.  I have* 
“ seen  them  in  mining.  I had  some  mining  interests  in 
“ Wyoming,  coal  mining.  We  had  all  sorts  of  trouble  and 
“ finally  put  in  Chinamen,  and  there  are  no  better  coal 
“ miners  in  the  world  now  than  these  Chinamen. 

“ O.  What  kind  of  work  do  they  perform  there  ? A. 

“ All  kinds  of  work.  Mining  the  coal  and  hoisting. 

“ O.  Do  they  work  under  ground  ? A.  Yes  ; they 
“ do  everything  about  the  mine.” 

Mr.  Speer  says  ; — ^ 

“ The  Chinese  upon  our  Pacific  coast  have  proved 
“ themselves  admirable  miners.  When  the  hostility  of 
“ white  foreigners  has  driven  them  out  of  the  better 
“ mining  regions,  or  compelled  them  to  remain  satisfied 
“ with  diggings  which  have  already  been  washed  over 
“ two  or  three  times,  they  have  still  toiled  patiently  and 
“ diligently.  During  the  dry  season,  while  most  others 
“ were  lying  idle,  they  might  be  seen  making  repairs, 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  604.  ' Ch.  and  U.  S.,  p.  524. 


MR.  CLARKE'S  EVIDENCE. 


45 


“ digging  and  collecting  the  dirt  into  the  best  situations 
“ to  take  advantage  of  the  coming  rise  of  water,  or  at 
“ other  work.  In  the  employment  of  our  people  they 
“ have  proved  of  great  value  at  quartz  mining.  Rock 
“ which  could  not  be  worked  by  white  labor,  with  wages 
“ at  three  to  seven  dollars  a day,  can  be  made  profitable 
“ when  Chinese  can  be  got  to  extract  the  ore  and  deliver 
“ it  at  the  mill  at  two  dollars  or  less.  Then  districts 
“ which  had  been  almost  abandoned  have  I'evived  and  all 
“ classes  of  the  population  have  been  benefited.  For 
“ although  the  laboring  class  of  whites  objected  to  the 
“ low  wages  paid  to  the  Chinese,  yet  the  possibility  of 
‘ carrying  on  mining  operations  furnished  them  with 
“ other  and  better  employments,  and  so  sustained  life  in 
“ the  community.  And  the  mining  licenses,  of  $4  a 
“ month,  v/hich  have  been  exacted  with  scrupulous  punc- 
“ tuality— nay  sometimes,  that  the  collector  might  be 
“ sure  that  he  was  on  the  safe  side,  two  or  three  times  in 

the  same  month — have  in  some  counties  paid  the  entire 
“ ordinary  expenses  of  the  county,  whose  treasury  other- 
“ wise  would  have  been  bankrupt.” 

Mr.  Henry  K.  W.  Clarke,  a lawyer  and  farmer,  testi- 
fied before  the  commission  as  follows  ; — ‘ 

“ O.  How  were  the  Chinese  treated  in  the  mines  ^ A. 
“ Of  that  I cannot  speak,  only  from  hearsay  rather  than 
“ from  observation.  I have  seen  them  frequently  \vork- 
“ ing  in  the  mines,  and  they  have  been  working  in 
“ general  what  are  called  worn-out  mines.  There  they 
“ have  been  compelled  to  work  for  amounts  for  which 
“ white  men  would  not  work. 

“ 0.  When  they  find  any  diggings  which  are  Avorth  a 
“ white  man’s  working,  do  you  know  what  happens  ? A. 
“ I understand  that  frequently  they  are  driven  from  them; 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  591. 


46 


MJi.  DEGROOT'S  EVIDENCE. 


“ that  when  they  will  pay  above  a certain  amount  the 
“ Chinamen  must  not  work  them. 

“ O.  Is  that  light  labor,  working  up  those  old  diggings.? 
“A.  It  is  very  heavy  labor. 

“ O.  It  has  been  said  here  that  the  Chinamen  shy 
“ hard  work.  How  is  that .?  A.  That  has  not  been 
“ my  experience.  A Chinaman  will  do  any  work  that 
“ you  will  pay  him  for  doing.  We  all  know  that  they 
“ are  not  a large-boned  or  large-muscled  people,  but  an 
“ exceedingly  active  people  and  very  patient  to  toil. 

“ 0.  State  to  the  committee  what  is  the  nature  of 
“working  up  these  placer  diggings,  what  kind  of  work 
“ they  have  to  do .?  A.  It  is  done  with  a pick  and 
“ spade,  and  consists  in  the  turning  over  of  large  boAvld- 
“ ers,  running  tunnels  in  different  directions,  throwing  out 
“ the  dirt  and  bowlders  and  saving  the  fine  dirt.  If  it  is 
“ in  the  proper  season  they  wash  the  dirt  as  they  go 
“ along  ; if  not,  they  keep  it  until  the  rainy  season  com- 
“mences,  when  they  take  this  dirt,  throw  it  into  the 
“rockers  and  wash  it.  It  is  work  in  which  there  is  a 
“great  deal  of  exposure,  they  being  compelled,  in  the 
“washing  season,  to  be  constantly  in  the  water,  and  in 
“the  warm  season  the  weather  is  exceedingly  hot.  It  is 
“very  severe  work.” 

Henry  Degroot,  a witness  with  a strong  anti-Chinese 
predilection,  testified  as  follows  ; — ^ 

“ 0.  I wish  you  to  state  to  the  commission  your  views 
“ in  reference  to  Chinese  immigration  and  its  bearing 
“upon  the  mines,  the  labor  of  the  mines,  and  such  other 
“ reflections  as  may  occur  to  you  upon  this  question.*  A. 
“In  regard  to  its  effect  upon  the  miners,  and  the  mining 
“interests,  I am  better  qualified  to  speak  than  as  to  its 
“effect  upon  any  other  industry  in  California,  because 
“ that  has  been  my  business.  I think  that  the  effect  of 

‘Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1103. 


MR.  DECROOT'S  EVIDENCE. 


47 


“ the  presence  of  these  people  here  has  been  very  detri- 
“ mental  to  the  labor  interests  and  to  the  mining’  industry 
“ also.  My  attention  was  first  called  to  this  fact  as  long 
“ago  as  1853-54  when  I was  acting  as  collector  of  the 
“ foreign-miners  tax.  At  that  day  we  had  a great  deal 
“ of  river-bar  mining,  and  placer  mining  of  every  charac- 
“ter,  that  would  pay  from  three  to  six  dollars  ; it  would 
“ average  four  or  five  dollars  a day  to  each  man  ; but  that 
“ was  hardly  considered  white  wages  then,  and  the  com- 
“ munity  generally  was  indifferent  as  to  the  presence  of 
“ the  Chinese,  and  thought  it  was  well  enough  to  let  these 
“ people  come  in  and  work  that  character  of  mines,  be- 
“ lieving  that  it  would  not  pay  white  labor  then  and  pro- 
“ bably  never  would.  The  Chinese  went  on  and  by  their 
“ method  of  mining  they  covered  up  a great  deal  of  good 
“ground.  They  prevented  white  men  from  coming  in 
“ because  they  did  not  like  to  mine  near  them,  and  in 
“ that  v/ay  a good  deal  of  mining-ground  was  lost  which 
“ we  will  never  be  able  to  work  out.  Subsequently  they 
“ began  to  increase  and  to  be  employed  as  laborers  in  the 
“ mines, — that  is  to  be  hired.  This  went  on  increasing. 
“ We  thought  at  first  they  could  not  be  employed  to  ad- 
“ vantage  in  certain  classes  of  mining,  or  in  any  class,  but 
“ it  was  -found  that  they  could.  They  were  hired  first  in 
“ placer  mines,  and  then  in  drift  digging  to  some  extent, 
“ and  finally  in  hydraulic  mining  to  very  good  advantage, 
“ except  for  moving  stones  and  working  in  the  pit ; and 
“ as  they  became  educated  to  the  business  the}."  greatly 
“ displaced  white  labor,  and  now  we  have  them  employed 
“ in  every  kind  of  mining  as  laborers  at  good  wages. 
“ This  operation  is  constantly  going  on  and  displacing 
“ white  men.  The  result  is  that  the  country  all  through 
“ from  Kern  river  to  Shasta,  a distance  of  five  hundred 
“ miles  is  full  of  villages  in  a state  of  decadence.  It  is  true 
“these  villages  were  partially  depopulated  along  about 


48 


ECONOMICAL  CONSIDERA  TTONS. 


“ 1857,  when  the  surface  placers  were  considerably  ex- 
“ hausted  and  a great  many  miners  left  and  went  to  Fox 
“ river  and  elsewhere.  Many  of  them  returned  afterwards, 
“ but  in  the  mean  time  Chinese  labor  was  substituted  and 
“ when  they  came  back  they  found  that  their  claim.s  were 
“ occupied.  They  found  their  position  as  laborers  occupied, 
“and  they  drifted  away  again;  left  the  mines  instead  of 
“ working  them,  staying  and  building  up  homes.  In  that 
“ v/ay  the  Chinese  have  come  in  and  do  nearly  all  of  what 
“ is  now  called  river-bed  washing,  turning  the  channels  of 
“rivers  and  washing  them.  There  is  a class  of  white 
“ men,  residing  in  the  mines  from  the  first,  who  have 
“ made  it  a business  to  take  up  claims  and  sell  them  to 
“ the  Chinese,  which  is  in  contravention  of  course  of  the 
“ laws  of  the  country,  and  also  of  the  local  laws  of  the 
“ miners  ; but  the  miners  leaving,  these  local  laws  have 
“ not  been  enforced,  and  these  white  men  who  do  not  like 
“ generally  to  work  very  well,  have  made  it  a business  to 
“ take  up  claims  and  sell  them  to  the  Chinese.  When 
“ they  are  once  inducted  into  these  claims,  these  men  who 
“ sell  them  remain  and  exercise  a sort  of  protection  over 
“them.  In  some  places  there  are  very  large  numbers  of 
“them.  In  the  vicinity  of  Oroville  there  are  between 
“three  and  four  thousand  Chinamen  mining  upon  the 
“ public  domain  who  have  obtained  their  claims  in  that 
“ manner.” 

This  witness  seems  to  have  been  an  intelligent  and 
humane  person.  He  says  of  himself,  in  another  part  of 
his  evidence  ; — “ In  my  neighborhood  I am  regarded  as 
“ a friend  of  the  Chinese,  for  the  reason  that  I so  often 
“protect  them.  That  is  to  say,  I believe  that  as  long 
“ as  they  arc  here  they  should  be  protected  from  brutal 
“ treatment,  and  as  long  as  they  arc  here  they  must  be 
“ employed.  That  is  the  way  I view  the  matter.” 

But  intelligent  and  humane  as  he  was  according  to  the 


ECONOMICAL  CONSIDER  A TIONS. 


49 


measure  of  his  education  and  enlightenment,  he  has  failed 
to  grasp  the  question  in  its  broadest  sense.  I shall  not 
stop  here  to  argue  the  economical  considerations  which 
are  involved.  “They  have  taken  possession,”  not  by 
force,  not  by  fraud,  but  because  they  are  patient,  steady, 
skillful  workers,  “ and  do  nearly  all  of  what  is  now  called 
“the  river-bed  washing,  turning  the  channels  of  rivers 
“and  washing  them.”  Does  any  one  envy  them  the 
results  of  such  labors,  or  does  any  one  of  enlightened 
views,  doubt  that  they  have  contributed  to  the  wealth  of 
the  country,  just  in  the  measure  of  their  ability  and  dis- 
position to  stand  by  their  claims  and  to  develop  them } 

Before  passing  from  this  part  of  my  inquiry,  I desire 
to  point  out  the  pertinency  of  the  statement  of  Mr.  De- 
groot,  that  the  Chinese  “were  hired  first,  in  placer  min- 
“ ing,  then  in  drift  digging  to  some  extent,  and  finally  in 
“ hydraulic  mining,  to  very  great  advantage,  * * and 

“now  we  have  them  employed  in  every  kind  of  mining, 
“as  laborers,  at  good  wages.”  I take  it  that  the  em- 
ployers in  these  cases  were  our  own  countrymen  mainly, 
and  that  the  success  of  their  enterprises  depended  largely 
upon  their  ability  to  command  labor  at  reasonable  rates. 
The  testimony  of  Mr.  Colton,  regarding  his  coal  mining 
operations  in  Wyoming,  would  indicate  this.  But  in 
point  of  fact,  we  need  no  evidence  upon  this  point. 
Mining  of  all  kinds  in  California  has  been  hazardous, 
and  men  with  capital  enough  to  embark  in  it  upon  the 
scale  of  the  enterprises  of  more  recent  years,  would  take 
into  careful  account  the  price  of  labor.  If  this  should  be 
high  and  uncertain,  they  would  be  deterred  more  or  less 
from  undertaking  it. 

I cannot  pretend  to  offer  any  statement  of  the  wealth 
which  the  Chinese  have  created  in  their  mining  oper- 
ations, because  I have  not  at  the  moment  access  to 
information  which  would  enable  me  to  work  out  the 


50 


ECONOMICAL  CONSIDERATIONS. 


calculation.  I find,  however,  that  the  committee  of  the 
California  Legisiature,  from  the  report  of  which  I have 
already  quoted,  estimated  that  30,000  Chinese  were  en- 
gaged in  mining  in  the  year  1862.  If  we  suppose  that 
there  were  20,000,  and  that  they  earned  an  average  of  $2 
a day,  the  aggregate  is  the  considerable  sum  of  $1,200,000 
a month,  or  14,400,000  a year.  And  they  would  have 
paid  to  the  State  and  county  treasuries,  at  the  rate  of  $4 
a month  for  each  man,  $80,000  a month,  or  $960,000  a 
year.  A note  added  to  the  report  of  the  committee  states 
that  “20,000  miners  buy  water  at  30  cents  a man  a day,” 
which  would  make  $2,160,000  a year,  and  that  “ 15,000 
“buy  claims  at  25  cents  a man  a day,”  which  would 
amount  to  $1,350,000  a year. 

Doubtless  some  portion  of  all  this  wealth,  or  whatever 
might  be  the  wealth  created  by  the  Chinese  in  mining, 
would  be  removed  from  the  country,  and  sent  to  China. 
Yet  how  small  a proportion  of  it  would  be  carried  or 
sent  away.  It  would  be  as  necessary  for  the  Chinese 
miner  to  supply  his  daily  wants  as  for  the  American, 
and  in  the  midst  of  prevailing  high  prices  these  would 
consume  a very  large  portion  of  his  earnings.  When 
working  where  the  American  declared  he  could  not 
afford  to  work,  surely  his  savings  could  not  be  very 
great.  It  is  doubtful,  I think,  whether  the  Chinamen 
would  send  away  from  the  country  in  gross  as  much  in 
any  year  or  series  of  years,  as  American  miners  or  other 
foreign  miners,  would  dissipate  in  carousing  and  irregular 
living. 


PART  II.— CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN 
CALIFORNIA.  FARMING. 

Mining  interests  declining  and  agricultural  advancing.  Physical  features 
and  climate  of  the  State.  Agricultural  capacity  of  the  State  not 
understood  at  first.  Seasons  peculiarly  convenient  for  the  farmer. 
Normal  expenses  of  the  farmer  less  than  elsewhere.  Land  cultivated 
in  large  tracts.  Certain  disadvantages  of  the  farmer  ; lack  of  vain, 
high  wages.  Annual  production.  Land-killing  system,  due  to 
extent  of  lands  available,  dear  capital  and  dear  labor.  The  kind  of 
work  done  by  the  Chinese.  Evidence  of  Mr.  Roberts,  Colonel  Hol- 
lister, Mr.  Horner,  Mr.  Brier,  Judge  Dwinelle,  Mr.  Easterby  and  Mr. 
Sneath  as  to  the  nature  and  value  of  their  labor.  Future  of  the 
agricultural  interests  of  the  State. 

It  is  well  known  that  for  a considerable  period  the 
mining  interests  of  California  have  been  falling  off  and 
that  great  advances  have  been  made  in  agriculture.  The 
boundless  prospects  of  the  latter  may  not  be  so  well 
understood. 

The  State  is  favorably  situated  as  respects  climate. 
Its  southern  boundary  touches  the  32nd.  degree  of  lati- 
tude, its  northern  the  42nd.  degree.  The  Pacific  ocean 
laves  its  coast  line.  The  Sierra  Nevada  traverse  its  east- 
ern portion.  There  is  no  part  of  it  which  does  not  receive 
for  more  or  less  of  each  day,  invigorating  breezes  borne 
in  from  the  sea.  The  days  are  usually  warm  enough, 
even  in  midwinter,  to  make  vegetation  grow.  The  nights 
are  almost  always  cool.  It  is  a region  in  which  man 
and  beast  can  put  forth  all  their  normal  energies.  It 
produces  the  plants  of  the  temperate  zone  and  many  of 
those  which  belong  properly  to  the  tropics. 

The  physical  features  of  the  State  exhibit  a singular 


52 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES. 


variety.  The  valleys,  interspersed  among  the  mountains 
which  border  the  coast,  are  well  sheltered  in  winter,  and 
in  summer  are  made  cool  by  the  continually  recurring 
breezes  from  the  sea.  They  abound  in  running  streams 
and  lakelets.  The  mountain  sides  are  often  smooth 
enough  for  cultivation.  They  are  covered  in  places  by 
heavy  growths  of  timber,  in  others  by  wild  grasses, 
notably  the  wild  oat.  They  nowhere  attain  a great 
altitude.  Back  of  these  lies  the  great  valley  of  California, 
divided  generally  into  two  parts — the  Sacramento,  or 
northern  valley,  and  the  San  Joaquin,  or  southern  valley. 
The  whole  is  nearly  five  hundred  miles  in  length,  and 
averages  from  thirty  to  forty  in  breath.  The  soil  through- 
out is  alluvial,  and  in  certain  districts  it  is  of  great  depth 
and  richness.  Still  back  of  these  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
rising  to  an  altitude  of  from  6,000  to  12,000  feet,  offer  all 
varieties  of  climate.  The  lower  parts  of  this  great  range 
rise  by  easy  undulations  from  the  plain,  and  have  already 
been  brought  under  cultivation  to  a considerable  extent. 

The  earlier  voyagers  to  California  believed  that  agri- 
cultural lands  were  almost  entirely  wanting,  and  even 
after  the  discovery  of  gold  and  the  influx  of  population, 
few  persons  dreamed  of  the  capacity  of  the  soil.  The 
great  plains  were  treeless,  and,  for  a large  part  of  the 
year,  parched  by  drought.  The  seasons  did  not  corre- 
spond with  those  of  the  Eastern  States.  Earlier  .essays 
made  in  agriculture  were  notAvell  directed  in  consequence, 
and  tended  to  confirm  prevailing  ideas.  The  absorbing 
interest  was  that  of  mining. 

It  has  been  discovered  more  lately,  however,  that  the 
soil  and  climate  are  peculiarly  favorable  for  the  culture 
of  wheat,  and  the  other  small  grains,  and  maize,  and  that 
cotton,  the  sugar  cane,  hemp,  and  a great  variety  of  fruits 
and  berries  may  be  grown. 

The  rains  begin  late  in  October.  From  this  time  until 


CLIMATE. 


53 


May  the  country  is  every  where  green.  South  of  Sacra- 
mento frost  is  seldom  seen ; flowers  bloom  in  the  gardens ; 
many  trees  retain  their  foliage.  Even  in  the  Sacramento 
valley,  the  appearance  of  the  country  in  midwinter  is 
like  that  of  the  Eastern  States  in  the  spring  time.  It  is 
believed  that  oranges  may  be  successfully  grown  as  far 
north  as  Marysville. 

So  soon  as  the  rains  moisten  the  soil,  ploughing  is 
begun,  and  from  that  time  until  after  the  first  of  March, 
wheat,  oats,  barley,  &c.,  may  be  sown.  Corn  is  planted 
from  March  to  May.  After  the  middle  of  April  the  rains 
cease,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  May  the  harvesting  season 
begins,  and  lasts  until  the  crops  are  completely  saved. 
Corn  is  harvested  in  October  and  November,  and  even 
in  December. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  planting  season  for  wheat  ex- 
tends over  nearly  five  months,  and  the  harvesting  season 
over  nearly  as  many  more.  The  planting  may  be  inter- 
rupted by  rains,  which  fall  gently,  as  a rule,  during 
the  winter  months,  but  no  drop  of  moisture  descends 
during  the  summer.  The  standing  grain  ripens  in  due 
time,  hardening  in  the  clear  dry  atmosphere  and  un- 
touched by  mildew.  No  storms  sweep  over  it,  no  blight 
attacks  it,  and  it  stands  ready  to  be  gathered  in  until  the 
convenience  of  the  farmer  allows  him  to  complete  his 
work.  It  is  cut  generally  by  a machine  called  the 
“ Header,”  which  removes  only  the  ears  and  some  small 
portion  of  the  stalk,  and  is  threshed  in  the  fields.  Put 
into  bags  it  is  left  there,  or  at  the  railway  station,  in  the 
open  air  until  carried  to  market.  Elay  is  baled  and  left 
in  the  field  in  the  same  way,  and  root  crops  remain  in 
the  dry  earth  until  a convenient  moment  to  dig  them  out 
arrives. 

It  is  evident  that  the  normal  expense  of  growing 
wheat  must  be  much  lower  than  in  less  favored  regions, 


64 


CULTIVATION. 


but  the  whole  measure  of  the  farmers’  advantage  has 
not  been  told.  The  soil  as  a ' rule  is  light  and  friable, 
and  does  not  sod  over  as  heavily  as  the  wheat  growing 
lands  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  can  be  broken 
up  with  ease  by  gang  plows,  one  team  doing  the  work  of 
two  or  perhaps  three  teams  in  the  East  and  with  less 
fatigue  to  the  plowman.  On  fertile  lands  a volunteer 
crop  usually  follows  the  first  seeding.  The  animals  used 
for  plowing  and  other  work  need  but  little  grain  or  pre- 
pared forage  at  any  season  of  the  year,  the  fresh  grasses 
affording  them  nourishment  in  the  winter,  and  the  nat- 
urally cured  hay,  the  seeds  of  clover,  and  the  wild  oat,  in 
the  summer. 

The  tendency  in  California  under  these  circumstances, 
and  because  of  the  abundance  of  cheap  lands  on  the  one 
hand  and  the  scarcity  of  labor  on  the  other,  has  been 
toward  the  cultivation  of  large  tracts  by  individual  farmers. 
They  have  avoided,  in  this  way,  the  expense  of  fencing 
their  fields.  For  farm  buildings  they  need  only  rude 
structures  to  protect  their  hands,  their  animals  and  im- 
plements, from  the  sun  in  summer  and  from  the  rain  in 
winter.  A few  hundred  dollars  might  cover  the  whole 
expense  of  buildings  for  a farm  of  a thousand  acres. 

Against  the  advantages  of  the  Californian  wheat  grower, 
as  thus  set  forth,  are  to  be  placed  certain  disadvantages 
under  which  he  labors.  His  soil,  excepting  upon  the 
alluvial  bottom  lands,  is  likely  to  fail  sooner  than  the 
stiffer  soils  of  the  northwest.  It  maybe  that  the  absence 
of  rain  for  many  months  in  the  year  detracts  from  their 
capacity  to  produce  a series  of  crops  without  deteriora- 
tion. The  winter  rains  may  be  excessive  for  the  lower 
lands  or  insufficient  for  the  higher.  It  is  understood 
that  wheat  is  sometimes  a complete  failure,  more  partic- 
ularly in  the  southern  districts  of  the  State.  Transpor- 
tation to  the  coast  has  been  expensive  in  the  past,  and 


PRODUCT  OF  STATE. 


55 


the  distance  from  the  grain  markets  of  the  world  is  very 
great. 

One  of  the  most  serious  drawbacks,  has  been  the  high 
cost  of  labor.  The  farmer  of  Illinois,  of  Indiana  or  Min- 
nesota in  recent  years,  has  paid  his  hands  engaged  for 
the  busy  season  not  more  perhaps  than  $20  a month 
besides  board.  His  competitor  in  California  at  the  same 
time  has  paid  not  less  than  fifty  per  cent.  more.  By  the 
day  the  Illinois  farmer  has  paid  about  $1.25,  without 
board  ; the  Californian-  about  $2. 

It  would  be  idle  to  attempt  to  solve  the  question 
whether  the  Western  farmer  or  the  Californian  has  the 
balance  of  advantage  under  the  circumstances  stated,  by 
any  process  of  reasoning  upon  the  facts.  The  actual  re- 
sults show  however  that  the  Californian  farmer  has  been 
able  to  compete  in  the  production  of  wheat  and  that  the 
tendency  is  toward  an  increment  of  the  annual  pi'oduc- 
tion.  The  export  from  San  Francisco  in  i860  amounted 
to  58,926  barrels  of  flour,  and  381,768  centals;  in  1870 
to  352,962  barrels,  and  4,863,890  centals,  and  in  1879  it 
was  234,381  barrels  and  7,069,933  centals. 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  Californian 
farmer  has  not  been  obliged  to  rely  wholly  upon  white 
labor,  that  he  has  received  a great  deal  of  assistance  from 
the  Chinese,  both  directly  and  because  of  the  average 
cheapening  of  the  labor  market  by  their  competition. 

How  far  wages  have  been  lowered  by  the  presence  of 
Chinese  we  cannot  tell.  Their  competition  would  un- 
doubtedly have  a great  effect  upon  the  market,  but  on 
the  other  hand  high  wages  might  have  induced  other 
labor  to  come  into  the  state  more  freely.  Whether  it 
would  have  been  possible  at  higher  wages  to  cultivate 
wheat  for  exportation  may  be  doubted.  It  may  be 
doubted,  even,  whether,  with  the  market  supplied  only  by 
whites,  it  would  have  been  possible  to  secure  enough  to 


56 


LAND-KILLING  SYSTEM. 


bring  the  average  of  wages  down  to  a point  when  pro- 
duction would  have  begun. 

Col.  Hollister,  one  of  the  largest  farmers  in  the  State, 
and  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  thoughtful  witnesses ' 
examined  before  the  Congressional  commitee,  tak^s  a 
very  gloomy  view  of  the  prospects  of  wheat  culture.  In 
his  opinion  the  cultivation  of  the  past  has  been  of  a sort 
to  rob  the  soil,  and  cannot  be  permanently  successful  at 
the  prevailing  high  rates  of  wages.  He  says  ; — * “ My 
“ own  conviction  is  from  what  I have  seen  and  know, 
“from  my  own  experiments,  and  what  I have  seen  of 
“ my  neighbors,  that  there  is  not  a farm  in  the  State 
“ scientifically  handled,  handled  well  with  a view  to  its 
“ permanency,  without  exhaustion,  restoring  as  we  take 
“ away,  that  will  survive  at  $25  a month  for  labor.  A 
“farmer  cannot  survive  on  a payment  of  a minimum  of 
“$25  a month  and  board.  The  farm  will  not  pay  the 
“labor.  * * It  is  very  apparent  that  we  are  simply 

“ leaving  a desert  behind  us.  That  is  the  history  of  Cal- 
“ ifornia  farming.  We  are  taking  every  pound  of  bread 
“ out  of  the  soil  and  sending  it  to  Europe.  There  are 
“ only  so  many  pounds  of  bread  in  an  acre  of  land,  and 
“ when  you  take  it  out  there  is  no  more ; you  have  got  to 
“restore  the  elements.  This  requires  labor  and  an  ex- 
“penditure  of  money.  To-day  it  is  a simple  drain  all 
“ the  time.  It  is  a draught  upon  the  bank  to  pay  this  ex- 
“orbitant  labor.  The  farmer  will  not  stand  it,  and  no 
“man  in  the  world  can  stand  it.  I have  seen  myself 
“ twenty  crops  of  wheat  taken  off,  and  that  is  a fact  with- 
“out  parallel  anywhere  else  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  I 
“think.  Yet  this  land  is  all  young.  I have  seen  here, 
“almost  in  sight  of  this  town,  eighty  bushels  of  wheat 
“produced  to  the  acre.  I have  seen  the  same  land  af- 
“ terward  when  you  could  run  a dog  through  it  without 

‘Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  768. 


EXTENT  OF  LANDS. 


57 


“ striking  a stalk.  That  is  poverty ; that  is  failure ; and 
“when  the  soiTis  bankrupt  your  farming  is  bankrupt; 
“and  when  your  farming  is  bankrupt  commerce  is  gone.” 

There  is  other  evidence  scattered  through  the  report  of 
the  committee  that  the  progress  of  wheat  culture  in  Cal- 
ifornia has  been  of  the  “land-killing”  kind.  The  reasons 
for  this  are  not  difficult  to  divine.  In  the  first  place,  the 
lands  of  California  are  very  extensive.  Mr.  Brooks  es- 
timates the  whole  area  of  the  State  at  102,000,000  of 


acres,  and  classes  it  as  follows; — 

Acres. 

I.  Now  under  cultivation.  . 5,500,000 

II.  Capable  of  cultivation  for  grain 8,000,000 

III.  Swamp  and  tide  lands  which  may  be 

reclaimed 4,500,000 

IV.  Dry  lands  ; rich  but  useless  without  irri- 

gation   25,000,000 


V.  Outside  of  these  and  between  them  and 

the  forest  belt,  suitable  for  vines,  the 
mulberry,  fruit,  berries,  tea,  coffee, 
etc 8,000,000 

VI.  Land  now  covered  with  forest 20,000,000 

VII.  Denuded  land,  and  other  land  that  may 

be  replanted  and  reforested 14,000,000 

VIII.  Mountain  tops,  worthless  for  agriculture.! 5,000,000 

IX.  Covered  with  water 2,000,000 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Mr.  Brooks  believes  that  in  ad- 
dition to  the  5,500,000  acres  now  under  cultivation,  there 
are  8,000,000  more  available.  I understand  from  his  clas- 
sification and  from  his  comments  upon  the  classification, 
that  these  8,000,000  of  acres  are  immediately  available  ; 
that  they  do  not  need  reclamation,  clearing  or  irrigation, 
but  may  be  put  at  once  under  the  plow. 

In  the  second  place,  capital  is  very  dear.  Mr.  Bryant, 
mayor  of  San  Francisco,  testified  before  the  commission 


£8 


CAPITAL  DEAR. 


that  the  bank  rate  in  San  Francisco,  the  money  centre  of 
California,  was  one  per  cent,  per  month  at  that  time,  and, 
that  for  permanent  loans,  it  was  worth  about  ten  per  cent..‘ 

In  the  third  place,  population  is  sparse.  California, 
with  an  area  nearly  equal  to  that  of  France,  had,  or  is 
supposed  to  have  had,  in  1876,  a population  of  no  more 
than  750,000  persons. 

It  is  simply  a matter  of  course  that,  under  these  con- 
ditions, lands  in  California  are  cheap  and  labor  dear,  and 
that  the  farmer’s  efforts  are  directed  to  get  the  most  from 
the  soil  with  the  least  possible  effort.  Careful  husband- 
ing of  the  resources  of  the  soil  comes  only  in  older  com- 
munities, where  land  is  dear,  money  cheap,  and  labor 
abundant. 

Circumstances  indicate  then  that  the  wheat  grower  of 
California  has  been  obliged  to  take  advantage  of  all  the 
opportunities  of  his  situation  to  be  able  to  compete  with 
growers  elsewhere. 

Irrespective  of  the  general  effect  produced  by  the. 
presence  of  Chinese  in  the  labor  market,  and  the  break- 
ing down  of  the  high  wages  which  would  naturally  be 
demanded  by  white  men  if  in  undisputed  control  of  it, 
the  fact  remains  that  the  Californian  farmer  has  been  able, 
of  late  years,  to  em.ploy  Chinamen  at  about  $20  a month, 
besides  his  board,  when  he  has  been  obliged  to  pay  the 
native  American,  or  the  foreigner  of  other  nationality, 
not  less  than  $30  a month,  besides  his  board. 

It  seems  to  be  true  that  the  Chinaman  is  not  qualified 
usually  for  all  kinds  of  agricultural  work.  He  is  not 
handy  as  a teamster,  nor  in  the  management  of  machinery. 
He  does  not  displace  the  whites,  therefore,  but  supple- 
ments their  labor.  He  can  bind  up  the  cut  wheat  in 
sheaves,  feed  the  thresher,  or  sack  the  threshed  out  grain 
as  well  as  the  white.  Taking  them,  however,  just  as  they 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  186. 


CHTNESE  AS  LABORERS. 


59 


are,  the  following  testimony  indicates  how  great  a place 
they  have  filled  in  wheat  culture. 

Mr.  George  D.  Roberts  testified  ; — ‘ 

“ I will  state  an  instance  in  which  we  gave  white  labor 
“a  very  fair  test  a few  years  ago.  We  had  a very  large 
“wheat  field.  It  was  harvest  time,  and  the  superintend- 
“ ent  wrote  down  to  send  him  up  a couple  hundred  of 
“white  men.  I went  to  all  the  labor  institutions  here, 
“and  employed  men  of  all  kinds,  of  all  nations.  We 
“gave  them  the  usual  country  wages,  whatever  it  was, 
“$3S  or  $40  dollars  a month,  I think.  We  had  to  aban- 
“ don  it  after  trying  a couple  of  weeks,  and  losing  a great 
“deal  of  wheat  by  the  experiment.  Those  men  would 
“ not  work  more  than  two  or  three  days  or  a week,  and 
“ then  they  would  quit.  I kept  the  steamer  almost  loaded 
“ sending  up  white  men,  but  they  would  leave  as  fast  as 
“ I sent  them.  I then  went  to  a Chinaman  and  told  him 
“that  I wanted  to  contract  for  binding  and  shocking 
“wheat.  We  did  the  reaping  by  machines.  I made  the 
“ contract  at  so  much  per  acre.  The  weather  was  warm. 

“ They  went  up  there ; several  hundred  of  them  came. 
“We had  one  to  two  hundred  acres  that  had  been  reaped, 

“ and  needed  putting  up  very  badly  ; and  the  next  morn- 
“ ing  it  was  all  in  shock.  The  Chinamen  did  the  work 
“that  night.  They  did  the  work  well  and  faithfully,  and, 

“of  course,  we  abandoned  white  labor.  Since  then  we  • 
“have  done  all  machine  work  with  white  men,  but  field 
“work  of  that  kind  we  would  contract  with  Chinamen 
“ to  do.” 

In  answer  to  a question  as  to  the  relative  merits  of 
Chinese  and  others  as  agricultural  hands,  the  same  wit- 
ness testified  ; — 

“ Better  than  the  Swede,  and  the  Swede  is  the  best 
“ worker  we  have  had.  They  are  better  field  hands  than 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  440. 


eo 


CHINESE  AS  LABORERS. 


“the  Swede.  You  can  depend  upon  them  longer;  that 
“ is,  if  you  can  get  them  this  year  you  can  get  them  next 
“ year  and  the  year  after,  if  you  treat  them  well  and  pay 
“ them.  They  become  attached  to  your  place  and  they 
“ stay  with  you.  So  far  as  the  labor  question  is  con- 
“ cerned  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  Chinaman  is  the 
“ best  laborer  we  have  in  this  country  for  certain  classes 
“ of  work,  and  he  does  a class  of  work  generally  that 
“ white  men  scorn  to  do,  and  which  the  white  man  will 
“not  do  if  he  can  possibly  avoid  it.  We  employ  a great 
“ many  white  men.  We  have  two  or  three  hundred  white 
“ men  employed  all  the  time.  Immigrants,  men  coming 
“ to  this  country,  will  hire  by  the  month,  and  stay  with  you 
“ two  months,  or  three  months  at  the  outside.  They  are 
“not  satisfied  with  $30  or  $35  a month.  They  did  not 
“ come  to  this  country,  they  say,  to  work,  they  came  to 
“ make  money,  and  they  are  not  satisfied.  As  soon  as 
“ they  get  a few  months  wages  they  want  to  go  to  the 
“ mines,  or  to  rent  a piece  of  land  of  you,  and  hire  China- 
“ men  to  do  the  work.  They  want  to  speculate.  A very 
“ intelligent  class  of  white  men  generally  come  to  this 
“ country,  and  very  few  of  them  come  to  do  cheap  labor; 
“ that  must  be  done  or  it  will  stop  the  progress  of  the 
“country.  We  could  not  afford  to  pay  three  or  four  dol- 
“ lars  a day  to  white  men  to  do  our  work.  We  could  not 
“get  them  to  do  it,  scarcely ; and  the  labor  that  the  Chi- 
“ namen  do  is  producing  wealth  for  the  country  and  pro- 
“ ducing  labor  for  the  white  man.” 

In  answer  to  a question  whether  the  Chinese  purchase 
or  rent  lands,  the  same  witness  said  ; — 

“ Not  to  any  very  great  extent,  but  more  so  recently 
“ than  formerly.  There  is  a disposition  among  them  now 
“ to  turn  their  attention  to  farming.  They  think  it  is  a 
“ more  quiet  life  ; they  get  out  of  the  excitement  of  the 
“ city.  Many  of  them  have  rented  patches  and  are  pay- 
“ ing  $25  and  $30  a year  per  acre  for  lands. 


RATE  OF  IV ACES. 


61 


“ Q.  Twenty-five  and  thirty  dollars  a year  ? A.  Yes, 
“ sir ; pretty  nearly  all  the  sweet  potatoes  you  get  here 
“ are  raised  by  Chinamen,  on  Grand  Island,  and  in  that 
“ neighborhood.” 

Mr.  Hollister  testified  as  follows  ; — * 

“ Q.  You  t©ld  the  commission  that  when  a white  man 
“ applied  to  you  to  contract,  you  said  ; ‘ I do  not  want  to 
“ ‘ contract  with  you  ; there  is  work,  you  can  go  and  do 
‘“it;  but  I will  not  contract  with  you.?’  A.  I know 
“ there  are  as  good  white  men  as  anybody  else  in  the 
“ world.  I would  hire  them  quicker  than  anybody  else 
“ in  the  world,  because  I know  the  American  is  the  best 
“ man  out,  if  he  is  good. 

“ O.  Would  you  give  them  the  preference  over  China- 
“ men.?  A.  Yes ; I hire  Chinamen  for  $15  a month, 
“and  I pay  $30  a month  to  Americans  ; and  the  China- 
“men  are  doing  just  as  much  as  the  Americans. 

“ O.  Is  it  your  interest  to  do  that .?  A.  I cannot  help 
“ myself ; I must  either  stop  farming  or  hire  the  others. 

“ Q.  Or  hire  the  Chinamen  .?  A.  Certainly. 

“ O.  Then  your  necessities  compel  you  to  employ 
“white  men,  and  your  inclinations  compel  you  to  employ 
“Chinamen  .?  A.  Not  a bit  of  it.  I have  not  said  that.  I 
“ say  that  I would  hire  an  American  quicker  than  any 
“Other  man  in  the  world,  because  he  is  the  best  man,  if 
“he  is  a good  man.  If  he  is  a bummer  I do  not  want 
“ to  have  him  at  all. 

“ Q.  Can  you  make  a profit  out  of  him  by  paying 
“these  wages.?  A.  Not  a bit;  I am  losing  money  all 
“ the  time. 

“ O.  Do  you  make  any  money  out  of  the  labor  of 
“ Chinamen .?  A.  When  I can  get  them  at  prices  low 
“ enough,  I do.  I do  not  think  men  make  much  out  of 
“ Chinamen  at  $15  a month.  I do  not  think  a farmer  in 


Rep.  Ch.  Ira.,  p.  781. 


62 


CHINESE  INDISPENSABLE. 


“California  who  does  his  duty  by  his  land  can  make 
“ money  if  he  pays  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  dollars  a 
“ month.” 

Mr.  John  M.  Horner,  a farmer  of  Alameda  county,  an 
especially  rich  and  favorably  located  district,  testified  as 
follows  ; — ‘ * 

“ Q.  Have  you  employed  Chinese  labor,  or  do  you 
“ employ  it  now  .?  A.  Yes,  sir  ; I have  employed  almost 
“ all  nationalities,  and  a great  portion  of  them  are  Chinese. 

“Q.  You  employ  any  labor  that  you  can  ? A.  Yes, 
“ sir  ; any  labor  that  I can  get  hold  of. 

“ Q.  Could  you  successfully  carry  on  your  farming 
“operations  without  Chinese  labor.?  A.  Yes,  sir;  I 
“ could  do  so.  I find  them  a very  convenient  class  of 
“ laborers,  yet  the  whole  success  of  farming  does  not  de- 
“pend  upon  them. 

“Q.  To  what  extent  does  it  depend  upon  the  Chi- 
“nese  .?  A.  When  we  have  abundant  crops  there  has 
“not  been  help  enough  aside  from  the  Chinese,  available 
“to  harvest  the  crops,  and  without  them  much  of  the 
“ crop  would  go  to  waste. 

“ O.  Do  your  neighbors  employ  Chinamen .?  A. 
“They  do.  The  Portuguese,  Frenchmen  and  Americans 
“ employ  them.  All  who  own  property  employ  them. 

“ Q.  Then  they  look  upon  them  as  a necessity  in  your 
“ neighborhood .?  A.  That  is  the  general  impression. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  common  opinion  of  people  in  your 
“ neighborhood  on  the  question  of  Chinese  labor  .?  A. 
“ They  are  for  it  as  a general  thing  ; that  arises,  how- 
“ ever,  more  on  account  of  its  reliability  than  on  account 
“ of  its  cheapness.” 

Speaking  of  the  price  of  labor,  Mr.  R.  F.  Peckham 
said  ; — ^ 

“ Q.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  prices  of  labor  for 

' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  799.  ’ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  557. 


WAGES  IN  EASTERN  STATES. 


63 


“ farms  here  and  corresponding  labor  in  the  Eastern  and 
“Middle  States?  A.  White  labor  on  farms  now  is 
“worth,  that  is  it  commands,  from  $30  to  $40  a month, 
“ and  board.  I think  that  the  value  of  such  labor  in  the 
“ East,  when  I was  last  there,  would  range,  in  different 
“localities,  from  $18  to  $25. 

“ 0.  And  board  ? A.  And  board. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  difference  between  the  average  price 
“ of  white  labor  upon  farms  here,  and  Chinese  labor  ? A. 
“I  think  that  you  can  get  Chinese  labor,  when  you  have 
“a  large  amount  of  work,  for  about  $30  a month  and 
“ they  will  board  themselves.” 

The  Reverend  William  W.  Brier,  speaking  upon  the 
“ same  point,  said  ; — * 

“ While  I was  traveling  in  the  east  this  spring  I made 
“ diligent  inquiry  in  various  States,  and  I found  that  the 
“price  of  labor  on  farms  ranged  from  $12  to  $15  a 
“ month,  for  that  class  of  laborers  who  receive  here  from 
“$25  to  $30. 

“Q.  For  how  many  years  has  the  present  rate  for 
“ white  labor  prevailed  in  this  State  ? A.  I think  that 
“it  has  remained  very  much  the  same  since  1857.  It  has 
“ advanced  a little,  perhaps,  for  certain  kinds  of  laborers 
“over  what  it  was  then,  that  is  to  say,  labor  that  the 
“Chinese  perform.” 

The  same  witness  testified  further  ; — 

“ The  Chinese  population  so  far  as  it  has  come  here  is 
“a  necessity  for  the  farming  interests  of  the  country. 
“To  interfere  with  it  would  be  a serious  mistake.  This 
“ is  the  universal  opinion  of  both  republicans  and  demo- 
“ crats,  so  far  as  I know  them  in  Alameda  county,  Avith- 
“out  an  exception.  I can  bring  every  man  who  carries 
“ on  business  in  my  neighborhood  and  he  will  testify  to 
“ the  same  thing.” 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  572. 


64 


CHINESE  SYSTEM  OF  LABOR. 


Again 

“ All  the  contracts  for  Chinese  labor  so  far  as  I know, 
“are  made  with  what  is  called  a boss  Chinaman,  and  he 
“hunts  up  other  Chinamen  and  brings  them  in.  The 
“ consequence  of  that  is  a great  advantage  to  labor,  be- 
“ cause  when  a man  has  any  large  amount  of  labor  to 
“ perform  that  must  be  done  in  a limited  time,  he  can  get 
“men  in  this  way.  You  cannot  do  it  with  white  men, 
“because  they  have  their  places  and  continue  in  them  for 
“ a long  time.  There  are  a great  many  Chinamen  going 
“from  one  point  to  another,  and  from  one  job  to  another, 
“ and  if  a man  has  a crop  exposed,  and  there  is  great 
“haste,  he  can  get  a large  number  of  Chinamen  to  work 
“ for  him.” 

And  again  ; — 

“The  Chinese  are  a cleanly  people;  they  keep  them- 
“ selves  neat  and  clean  and  nice ; there  is  nothing  offen- 
“sive  about  them.  I have  never  seen  but  one  drunken 
“ Chinaman  during  my  stay  in  California.  I did  sec  one 
“ man  with  a bottle  of  whisky  tied  to  each  end  of  his  pole, 
“and  he  was  reeling  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  I 
“ said  to  myself,  that  Chinaman  is  becoming  American- 
“ ized.  I have  had  but  one  Chinaman  come  to  my  house 
“ and  ask  for  anything  to  eat,  or  ask  if  I had  anything  to 
“give  him  ; just  one  individual  case,  and  I suppose  there 
“ are  more  than  a hundred  fed  there  of  white  men  every 
“ year.” 

Mr.  Samuel  H.  Dwindle,  for  twelve  years  judge  of  the 
Fifteenth  District  Court,  comprising  the  counties  of  San 
Francisco  and  Contra  Costa,  testified;—’ 

“Q.  Is  there  a strong  prejudice  among  the  people  of 
“ this  State  against  Chinese  immigration  ? A.  I think 
“there  is  among  the  laboring  classes.  Outside  of  these 
“ I do  not  think  it  is  very  strong. 

^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  748. 


OPPOSITION  TO  CHINESE. 


C5 


“ O.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  this  opposition  is  con- 
“ fined  to  the  laboring  classes  ? A.  I think  so,  pretty 
“much,  as  far  as  my  observation  goes.  I think  that 
“ farmers  are  always  ready  to  employ  Chinese,  and  in 
“ many  instances  they  tell  me  that  they  prefer  them  to 
“white  laborers.  I have  heard  some  of  them  say  that 
“they  could  not  move  their  crops  without  the  assistance 
“of  the  Chinese;  that  if  the  Chinese  were  driven  from 
“the  country  their  crops  could  not  be  moved.” 

Mr.  Anthony  Easterby,  a farmer,  and  president  of  the 
Fresno  Irrigation  Company,  testified  as  follows; — ‘ 

“ O.  What  is  the  opinion  of  farmers  on  this  question, 
“ so  far  as  you  are  acquainted  with  them  ? A.  All  of 
“ the  farmers  that  I have  ever  spoken  with  are  in  favor  of 
“having  Chinese  for  servants,  decidedly.  In  some  cases 
“they  use  them  as  laborers  on  the  farm,  for  doing  light 
“work,  and  where  horses  are  not  used.  The  Chinese  do 
“ not  seem  to  understand  the  use  of  horses  as  whites  do. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  case  at  harvest  time  ? A.  They 
“ use  them  for  receiving  the  wheat  into  the  header 
“wagons,  where  there  is  a scarcity  of  white  labor. 
“ Sometimes,  where  there  are  white  men  only  employed, 
“ if  one  or  two  knock  off,  it  stops  the  whole  gang.  The 
“ Chinese  when  employed,  will  stay  as  long  as  you  keep 
“ them.  , 

“ O.  What  is  their  character,  generally,  as  laborers  ? 
“A.  They  are  faithful,  and  you  can  depend  upon  them 
“attending  to  their  work  without  watching  them.  For 
“instance,  when  I was  president  of  the  Napa  Valley  rail- 
“road,  I had  them  in  the  section  gangs,  keeping  up  the 
“ roads,  v/ithout  any  foreman.  When  you  set  them  upon 
“doing  a piece  of  work,  you  can  depend  upon  its  being 
“ done. 

“ Q.  In  harvest  time  would  there  be  any  difficulty  in 
‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  745.  E 


66 


CHARACTER  OF  CHINESE  LABOR. 


“ getting-  sufficient  white  labor  to  save  the  harvest  ? 
“ A.  There  is,  sometimes,  because  all  the  farmers  require 
“ labor  at  the  same  time. 

“O.  Farmers  then  require  a large  number  of  laborers 
“ that  they  could  not  employ  the  rest  of  the  year 
“A.  Yes,  that  they  could  not  employ  the  rest  of  the 
“year.  After  the  harvest  is  over  there  is  no  more  use 
“ for  the  hands  until  the  rain  comes,  when  it  is  necessary 
“to  plow,  and  then  only  a much  smaller  number  is 
“ needed  than  during  the  harvest  season.” 

Mr.  Richard  G.  Sneath,  vice-president  and  manager  of 
the  Merchant’s  Bank,  a former  president  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  manager  of  the  Merchants  Exchange 
gave  the  following  evidence  ; — ‘ 

“ 0.  What  are  the  general  habits  of  industry  of  the 
“Chinese.?  A.  I have  employed  a good  many  common 
“ Chinese,  and  find  them  a very  industrious  people  and 
“in  general  very  reliable.  In  fact,  in  a great  many  in- 
“ stances,  I greatly  prefer  the  Chinese  to  white  labor. 
“ But,  again,  I am  now  employing  a considerable  number 
“ of  persons  farming  pretty  extensively,  nearly  all  of 
!‘whom  are  white  men,  for  the  reason  that  Chinese  do 
“ not  understand  farming.  It  is  impossible  to  understand 
“them  or  to  direct  them  properly  on  account  of  not  being 
“ familiar  v/ith  the  language.  They  can  only  be  worked 
“ in  gangs,  where  they  have  their  headmen  ; but  still, 
“ after  awhile,  as  they  soon  take  up  with  our  language, 
“ and  pick  up  a great  many  mechanical  ideas  some  of 
“ them  became  very  useful. 

“ O.  What  effect  has  Chinese  labor  had  upon  the 
“growth  and  capacity  of  the  State,  in  your  judgment.? 
“ A.  Without  Chinese  labor  I do  not  think  there  would 
“ have  been  half  the  material  wealth  in  this  State.” 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  544. 


CHEAP  LABOR  NEEDED. 


67 


Again;— 

‘*Our  object  is  to  benefit  California  and  to  give  ein- 
“ployment  to  as  many  people  as  ^ye  can,  and  that  thos^ 

“ -who  have  lands  shall  be  able  to  occupy  them  and  im- 
“ prove  them.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  have  as  cheap 
“ labor  as  they  have  in  the  Eastern  States  in  order  to 
“ compete  with  countries  abroad,  and  in  order  to  be  a 
“ self  sustaining  people  and  to  live  in  our  own  State.” 

It  is  not  necessary,  and  it  would  not  be  profitable  per- 
haps, to  extend  remarks  upon  the  good  that  the  Chinese 
in  California  have  done  to  the  agricultural  interest. 
What  has  been  said  here  relates  chiefly  to  their  assist- 
ance in  the  wheat  fields  of  the  State.  It  should  be  re- 
membered only,  that  wheat  culture  is  but  one  branch  of 
the  farming  interest.  Indian  corn,  oats,  and  barley  are 
extensively  grown.  Potatoes,  beets  and  onions  are  pro- 
duced in  quantities  sufficient  to  meet  the  demands  of 
local  consumption.  The  culture  of  beets  for  sugar  has 
been  essayed,  and  will  as  I judge  become  hereafter  an 
important  industry.  In  my  opinion  California  is  far  more 
likely  to  supply  the  sugar  market  of  the  country,  from 
the  beet,  than  our  Southern  States  from  the  cane.  A 
serious  effort  to  cultivate  cotton  has  also  been  made  with 
such  results  as  to  demonstrate,  as  I believe,  that  with 
cheaper  labor  it  may  be  successfully  grown. 

In  face  of  all  difficulties  the  people  of  California  have 
done  a great  deal  in  agriculture.  With  cheaper  money 
and  more  labor,  their  achievements  may  be  imagined,  but 
can  scarcely  be  portrayed.  The  reclamation  of  low  lands, 
and  the  irrigation  of  those  needing  water  must  take  place. 
Money  will  become  cheaper.  Laborers  will  flow  in,  and 
also  that  not  less  important  class,  men  of  some  means 
and  experience,  as  employers.  One  experience  after 
another  will  demonstrate  what  lands  may  be  reclaimed, 
and  what  advantages  result  from  irrigation.  Experiments 


68 


I 


FUTURE  AGRICULTURE. 


will  be  made  in  the  succession  of  crops,  alike  with  a view 
to  immediate  profit  and  the  preservation  and  enrichment 
of  the  soil.  The  peculiar  fertilizers  needed  will  be  dis- 
covered, and  the  crops  most  suitable  to  the  soil  and  cli- 
mate and  which  will  give  the  best  returns  to  the  culti- 
vator will  be  determined.  It  is  an  immense  region, 
varying  in  its  different  parts,  different  altogether  from  any 
other  part  of  our  country.  It  has  been  only  so  far  devel- 
oped as  to  suggest  its  possibilities. 

At  a later  moment  I shall  deal  with  the  question 
w'hether  Chinamen  are  likely  to  become  a permanent  por- 
tion of  the  population  of  this  region.  For  the  present  it 
is  enough  to  say  that  there  is  hardly  any  branch  of  agri- 
culture in  which  they  have  not  been  extensively  used 
and  to  the  great  advantage  of  the  farmer  and  of  the 
commonwealth.  Their  labor  has  been  kindly,  patient 
and  faithful,  while  that  of  their  white  competitors  has 
been  in  a large  measure  exacting  and  uncertain.  With 
less  physical  strength,  unfamiliar  with  the  kind  of  work 
set  for  them  to  do,  ignorant  even  of  the  language  of 
their  employers,  they  have  made  themselves  so  useful  as 
to  be  well  nigh  indispensable.  Whatever  else  may  be 
said  of  them,  they  have  added  greatly  to  the  material 
wealth  of  the  State  in  its  most  important  and  permanent 
interests.  It  is  not  less  true  that  they  have  the  capacity 
to  do  more  for  the  State. 


PART  II.— CHAPTER  V. 

THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN 
CALIFORNIA.  FRUIT  CULTURE. 

The  views  of  the  joint  committee  of  the  Legislature  of  1862  regarding  wine 
production.  Cheap  labor  needed.  Culture  of  tea,  fruits,  etc.  Wine 
production  of  1S76.  Mr.  Nordhoff’s  statement  of  area  suitable  for  the 
vine,  and  favorable  nature  of  the  climate.  Chinese  labor  in  vineyards. 
Testimony  of  Mr.  Hill.  Employment  of  Chinese  by  Buenavista  Vini- 
cultural  Society,  and  Anaheim  Vine  Growers’  Association.  Mr.  Cur- 
tis’s evidence.  Fruits  of  California.  Superior  opportunities  of  fruit 
growers.  Fruit  wasted  because  of  lack  of  labor  to  save  it.  Testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Gibson,  Mr.  Beals,  Mr.  Beckham,  Mr.  Badlam,  and  Mr. 
Castle  regarding  the  part  taken  by  the  Chinese  in  the  growth  and  pre- 
servation of  fruit. 

A joint  committee  of  the  Legislature  of  California 
reported  as  follows  in  1862  ; — ‘ 

“ With  cheap  labor  we  could  supply  all  our  own  wines 
“and  liquors,  besides  sending  large  quantities  abroad. 
“The  wine  crop  of  France  in  1849  925,000,000 

“gallons,  valued  at  $100,000,000.  In  1853  she  had  in 
“vineyards  4,873,934  acres,  (giving  less  than  200  gallons 
“to  the  acre,)  making  about  8,107  square  miles,  or  an 
“area  of  250  miles  in  length  by  32  in  breadth.  Califor- 
“nia  contains  188,981  square  miles,  which  would  give 
“ 120,947,840  acres,  so  that  if  only  one  twenty-fifth  of  our 
“ area  should  be  planted  with  vineyards,  we  should  have 
“ an  amount  equal  to  France. 

“We  have  a fresher  soil  than  that  of  France,  and  a 
“better  climate  for  grape  culture,  and  we  could  produce 
“ larger  quantities  of  wine  and  of  better  quality  than  is 
“grown  upon  worn  out  lands. 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1189. 


70 


JOINT  COMMITTEE  OF  1862. 


“ This  cannot  be  done  without  the  aid  of  cheap  labor 
“ from  some  quarter : but  a portion  of  Chinese  with  white 
“labor,  would  add  incalculably  to  the  resources  of  the 
“ State  in  this  particular  branch.  To  the  wine  produced, 
“ add  the  cost  of  pipes  and  bottles  the  transportation  and 
“ commission  on  sales,  and  this  wine  and  liquor  interest 
“ would  become  second  only  to  the  mining  and  farming 
“ interest. 

“Turning  from  the  grape,  let  us  dwell  a moment  upon 
“the  production  of  rice,  tea,  sugar,  tobacco  and  dried 
“ fruits  of  every  description,  such  as  figs,  raisins,  &c.,  all 
“of  which  can  be  easily  grown  within  this  State,  and 
“ soon  will  be  if  we  encourage  cheap  labor  from  abroad 
“ to  come  in  and  cultivate  our  waste  luxuriant  soil.  It  is 
“ industry  which  makes  a people  great,  rich  and  power- 
“ ful ; and  we  need  only  to  supplement  our  enterprise 
“ and  resources  by  the  willing  hand  of  patient  labor  to 
“ make  our  young  and  giant  State  the  glory  of  our  coun- 
“ try  and  the  marvel  of  the  world.” 

The  anticipations  of  the  members  of  the  committee 
have  been  realized  in  a measure.  In  the  nine  months 
from  January  ist  to  October  ist,  1876,  5^1)033  gal- 
lons of  native  wines  were  exported  from  California  by 
sea  and  land.  The  receipts  at  San  Francisco  of  such 
wines  during  the  same  months  were  1,266,736  gal- 
lons, and  of  native  brandies  43,050  gallons.^  It  Avould 
seem  therefore  that  the  State  had  begun  already  so 
long  ago  as  1876  to  supply  more  or  less  completely 
the  wines  made  for  home  consumption  and  was  sending 
large  quantities  abroad. 

From  a statement  made  in  a paper  appended  to  the 
report  of  the  Congressional  committee  it  appears,  that 
the  crop  of  1875  amounted  to  about  8,000,000  gallons  of 
wine  and  80,000  gallons  of  grape  brandy,  and  that  there 

' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1203. 


EXPORT  OF  WINES. 


71 


were  at  that  time  in  California  nearly  40,000,000  vines 
growing,  more  than  three  quarters  of  which  were  in  bear- 
ing condition.^ 

Mr.  Nordhoff  says  ; — ^ 

“The  ai'ea  in  California  on  which  the  grape  can  be 
“ successfully  grown  for  wines  is  so  great  that  this'  State 
“will  some  day — and  that  before  many  years — produce 
“ wine  and  brandy  forthe  whole  world.  In  thirty-five  out 
“ of  the  forty-four  counties  of  the  State,  the  grape  for  wine 
“ has  been  and  is  now  successfully  grown.  The  climate 
“it  perfect — the  grapes  ripen  fully  every  year.  There 
“are  no  early  frosts  as  in  Germany  or  France  to  hasten 
“the  picking.  An  experienced  wine-maker  said  to  me, 
“ ‘ With  us  every  year  is  a comet  year.  We  have  as  good 
“ ‘ a season  every  year  as  they  have,  only  once  in  a dozen 
“ ‘ years  in  France  and  Germany.’  ” 

Again 

“ The  business  of  raising  grapes  and  making  them  into 
“ wine  is  already  a very  great  one,  in  California,  and  will 
“ increase  rapidly  for  yeai's  to  come.  As  I have  traveled 
“ through  the  State  and  seen  the  vineyards,  I have  again 
“ and  again  wondered  what  became  of  all  the  wine  that 
“is  made  here.  Yet  it  is  all  consumed;  there  is  very 
“little  three  year  old  wine  in  any  of  the  cellars  ; and  no 
“ matter  how  remote  or  how  far  from  the  great  centres 
“he  may  be,  the  wine-maker  sells  his  wine  oftenest  at 
“ what  is  really  a high  price,  as  fast  as  he  can  make  it. 

“ All  this  means  that  wine-growing  in  California  so  far 
“ from  being  overdone,  as  I imagined  it  might  be,  is  still 
“ in  its  infancy,  with  the  demand  increasing  every  year 
“ faster  than  the  production.  The  planting  of  vineyards 
“ goes  on  steadily,  and  every  year  men  learn  better  where 
“ and  what  to  plant  and  how  to  manage  wine.” 

® Cal.  Nordhoff.,  p.  220. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1204. 


72 


CHINESE  LABOR. 


Mr.  Nordhoff  says  further  ; — 

“ Chinese  laborers  are  employed  in  all  parts  of  the 
“ business.  They  quickly  learn  to  prune  and  take  care  of 
“ the  vines,  and  their  labor  is  indispensable.” 

kir.  John  H.  Hill,  of  Sonoma  county,  a farmer  and 
cultivator  of  fruit,  testified  as  follows  ; — ‘ • 

“O.  Do  you  employ  Chinese  labor.?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ 0.  Please  state  what  kind  of  laborers  they  have 
“ made  as  to  their  honesty,  integrity  and  habits.  A.  I 
“ find  them  from  experience,  to  be  temperate,  industrious, 
“ honest,  and  good  laborers,  creating  no  trouble  whatever. 

“ 0.  Is  it  a common  practice  in  Sonoma  county  to 
“ employ  Chinese  in  the  business  of  fruit-raising  .?  A.  I 
“ think  in  my  district  there  must  be,  perhaps,  some  500 
“ Chinese  employed.  It  is  principally  a vine-growing 
“ district. 

“ Q.  They  are  engaged  there  largely  in  cultivating 
“the  grape  for  the  farmers .?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  Could  you  get  white  labor  to  do  that  work  .?  A. 
“ I do  not  think  that  we  could.  I think  it  is  one  of  the 
“industrial  resources  of  the  country  which  would  have 
“ to  be  abandoned  if  it  depended  on  white  labor.  There 
“ are  certain  seasons  of  the  year  when  a large  accession 
“ to  the  ordinary  number  of  hands  is  required,  when  the 
“crop  is  ripening,  and  I do  not  think  white  men  could 
“ be  got,  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  to  do  the  work. 

“ Q Sonoma  county  is  noted  as  a vine-growing  county, 
“ is  it  not  1 A.  The  immediate  district  where  I live,  is 
“ exclusively  vine-growing. 

“O.  Is  that  Sonoma  Valley .?  A.  Sonoma  Valley.  I 
“ believe  if  it  was  not  for  the  Chinese  labor,  that  busi- 
“ ness  would  have  to  be  abandoned,  and  hundreds  of 
“ people  would  be  entirely  ruined. 


‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  796. 


CHINESE  LABOR. 


73 


“Q.  Vine-growing  is  then  a vital  interest  to  these 
“ people,  a permanent  interest  ? A.  Exclusively,  al- 
“most,  in  that  locality.” 

A paragraph  of  appendix  number  6,  of  the  Congress- 
ional report,  states  that  the  Buena  Vista  Vinicultural  Soci- 
ety is  the  largest  association  of  the  kind  in  the  State,  pos- 
sessing over  6,000  acres  in  Sonoma  county,  and  that  they 
employ  more  than  half  Chinese  laborers,  mostly  for 
grape  picking  and  working  the  soil. 

Another  paragraph  states  that  the  United  Anaheim 
Vine-growers  Association  employs  about  half  Chinese 
and  half  Mexicans  to  pick  grapes  and  work  generally 
in  the  vineyards.  The  association,  it  is  further  stated, 
had,  then,  from  4,000  to  5,000  acres  bearing  fruit.  The 
Chinese  first  went  into  the  district  in  1871-2,  and  in 
1876  “were  increasing  very  much  every  year.” 

In  another  paragraph  of  the  same  paper,  Mr.  James 
M.  Curtis,  wine  and  commission  merchant,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, is  reported  as  saying  ; — “ My  information,  derived 
“personally  from  the  growers,  is,  that  the  picking  of 
“grapes  is  done  almost  entirely  by  Chinese.  I can  safely 
“ say  that  nineteen-twentieths  is  done  by  them.  Some 
“ Chinese  are  also  employed  in  working  in  the  fields  or 
“vinebergs,  but  then  generally  in  company  with  whites; 
“the  overseers  are  always  whites.  Our  native  wines 
“appear  to  be  silently  but  steadily  gaining  in  public 
“favor,  both  at  home  and  abroad.” 

Still  another  paragraph  sets  forth,  that  California  has 
“ at  least  eight  or  ten  millions  of  acres  of  land  fitted  for 
“grape  culture,  which  can  produce  more  wine  than 
“ France,  Germany  and  Spain  together.” 

In  northern  and  central  California,  the  apple,  peach, 
plum,  apricot,  nectarine  and  cherry,  yield  abundant  crops 
of  the  largest  and  most  luscious  fruit.  In  southern  Cali- 
fornia the  semi-tropical  fruits  abound,  the  orange,  almond, 


74 


ORANGE  CULTURE. 


olive,  lemon,  citron,  and  lime.  Raspberries,  strawberries, 
currants,  melons,  etc.,  grow  luxuriantly  all  over  the  State. 
And  owing  to  the  mountain  ranges,  and  differences  in  the 
elevation  of  fruit-producing  lands,  the  orange  and  the 
apple,  the  almond  and  the  peach  may  be  found  grow- 
ing near  one  another,  and  northern  fruits  in  the  more 
southern  parts  of  the  State. 

It  would  be  unnecessary  to  recite  here  the  superior  ad- 
vantages of  the  California  fruit  grower.  As  a rule  the 
northern  states  of  the  Union  cannot  be  said  to  be  favora- 
ble for  fruit.  The  apple,  the  best  of  all  American  fruits, 
grown  in  all  the  colder  districts  of  the  Union,  and  the 
peach  of  some  sections,  are  unsurpassed  in  the  world.  The 
Eastern  States  however  fall  far  short  of  southern  Europe 
in  the  production  of  fruit  at  large.  But  California  is 
simply  an  unrivaled  region  in  this  respect.  The  fruits 
are  larger,  and,  the  apple  excepted,  not  less  luscious  than 
the  best  eastern  fruits.  The  trees  bear  younger,  and  with 
more  certainty  than  in  the  East,  and  many  fruits  are  pro- 
duced which  are  unknown  elsewhere  in  the  Union  saving 
in  the  tropical  districts  of  southern  Louisiana  and  in 
Florida. 

Some  of  the  fruit  products  of  California,  as  the  orange, 
the  lemon,  the  almond,  etc.,  can  be  sent  to  distant  mar- 
kets in  their  natural  state ; others  only  with  difficulty. 
But  the  latter  may  be  subjected  to  a drying  process,  or 
put  up  in  sealed  cannisters,  and  marketed  in  this  form. 

It  is  believed  in  California  that  the  cultivation  of  the 
orange  is  the  most  profitable  business  to  which  a land 
owner  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  can  devote  his 
attention. 

Mr.  Nordhoff  says  ; — “ I have  been  in  an  orchard  of 
“less  than  nine  acres  which  has  produced  for  its  owner, 
“ for  several  years  in  succession,  a clear  profit  of  over 
“ $8,000.  An  orchard  of  forty  acres  in  Los  Angeles  is 


TROPICAL  FRUITS. 


75 


“reported  to  me  to  bring  a clear  rent  of  $15,000  per 
“ annum  ; and  the  lessee  is  believed  to  have  made  a for- 
“ tune  for  himself.” 

To  the  Eastern  horticulturist  such  statements  will  seem 
extravagant  and  exceptional.  Yet  scattered  all  through 
Mr.  Nordhoff’s  book  upon  California  will  be  found  simi- 
lar statements,  and  statements  of  success  with  other 
fruits  of  a not  less  marvelous  nature.  “A  single  olive 
“ tree  at  San  Diego,  reputed  to  be  seventy  years  old,  bore 
“this  year  over  one  hundred  gallons  of  oil.”  “Two  Eng- 
“lish  walnut  -trees  near  Santa  Barbara,  thirty  years 
“ old,  have  yielded  each  fifty  dollars  worth  of  nuts  per 
“annum  for  several  years  past.”  “Three  citron  trees 
“ bore,  at  four  years,  without  special  care,  forty-five  dol- 
“ lars  worth  of  fruit.”  “ One  lemon  tree  which  I saw  at 
“ Los  Angeles  yielded  six  hundred  lemons,  another  older 
“ one  over  two  thousand.” 

The  cultivation  of  fruit  in  California  on  a considera- 
ble scale,  began  earlier  in  the  central  parts  of  the  State 
than  in  the  south,  more  particularly  in  the  small  valleys 
of  the  Coast  Range,  near  San  Francisco,  and  upon  the 
great  plain  near  Sacramento,  Marysville  and  Stockton, 
where  the  demand  for  the  cities  named,  and  for  the  min- 
ing and  other  dependent  districts,  centered.  The  indus- 
try fairly  outran  the  demand,  and  it  would  surprise  one 
to  relate  what  proportion  of  the  produce  of  the  orchards 
of  California  has  fallen  ungathered  to  the  ground  and 
rotted.  More  lately  with  improved  appliances  for  the 
drying  and  canning  of  fruit,  and  established  markets  at 
home  and  abroad  for  the  sale  of  it,  the  industry  has  be- 
come one  of  great  magnitude,  and  the  more  or  less  con^ 
siderable  dependence  of  a large  body  of  growers,  pre- 
servers and  agents.  At  the  present  time  there  is  prob- 
ably no  maritime  town  in  the  world  in  which  the  canned 
fruits  of  California  are  not  offered  for  sale,  and  their  con- 


76 


CHTN'ESE  INDISPENSABLE. 


sumption  in  our  own  country,  north  and  south,  is  taking 
large  proportions. 

How  far  the  Chinese  have  been  useful  in  the  industries 
thus  created  has  been  indicated  in  the  remarks  already 
made  in  regard  to  the  vine-growing  interest.  One  or 
two  further  relations  of  evidence  will  not  be  out  of  place, 
however. 

Mr.  Gibson  says; — * “ Probably  not  a single  strawberry 
“ranch  in  the  State  is  carried  on,  or  could  be  carried  on, 
“ with  any  profit,  without  the  employment  of  Chinese  la- 
“ bor.  This  is  a kind  of  industry  in  which  they  excel  all 
“ competitors.  Yet  with  this  industry  carried  on  almost 
“ exclusively  by  Chinese  cheap  labor,  our  strawberries 
“cost  more  by  the  pound  than  in  New  York,  Philadel- 
“ phia  or  Chicago.  If  our  producers  had  to  pay  white 
“laborers  two  dollars  a day  for  far  less  efficient  service 
“ than  the  Chinaman  gives  for  one  dollar,  or  one  dollar 
“ and  twenty-five  cents  a day,  who  could  afford  to  eat  the 
“fruit  when  brought  to  market.  As  it  is,  even  employ- 
“ ing  Chinese  labor,  our  producers  pay  as  much  a pound 
“or  basket  for  picking  as  is  paid  by  the  producers  in  New 
“York,  Delaware  or  Maryland.” 

Again;— 

“ In  fruit-raising,  for  which  California  is  wonderfully 
“ adapted,  up  to  this  time  Chinese  labor  is  indispensable.” 

Again;— 

“As  has  already  been  stated  in  a previous  chapter,  on 
“fruit  ranches,  and  farms  also,  the  Chinamen  are  the  suc- 
“ cessful  competitors  of  the  whites.  The  fact  is,  our  white 
“ laborers  don’t  like  the  business  of  stooping  and  squat- 
“ ting  on  their  haunches  all  day  picking  berries,  grapes 
“ and  currants.  The  most  of  them  can  find  employment 
“ that  suits  them  better  and  yields  them  better  pay.  Only 
“ a few  days  since  I overheard  a company  of  farmers,  or 


Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  qS. 


CHINESE  LARGELY  EMPLOYED.  'll 

“ranchmen,  talking  together  over  this  matter.  One  of 
“ them  said ; — ‘ The  fact  is,  I cannot  get  white  labor  to  do 
“ ‘ this  kind  of  work ; I must  employ  Chinamen  or  give 
“ ‘up.’  Another  said  that  he  had  just  the  same  diffi- 
“ culty  in  hoeing  and  weeding.  White  men  seemed  to  be 
“ possessed  of  the  notion  that  such  work  was  more  servile 
“than  some  other,  and  were  reluctant  to  engage  in  it,  but 
“ the  Chinaman  takes  kindly  and  naturally  to  the  stoop- 
“ ing  and  squatting  position  required  in  this  kind  of  light 
“ manual  labor.” 

Mr.  Henry  C.  Beals,  editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Com- 
mercial Herald,  testified  before  the  commission  as  fol- 
lows;— ' 

“ Q.  What  do  you  say  of  Chinese  industry  in  connec- 
“tion  with  fruit  culture.?  A.  Of  my  own  personal  knowl- 
“ edge  I could  not  say  anything,  but  from  my  intercourse 
“with  fruit  merchants  and  others,  they  inform  me  they 
“ could  not  get  along  without  the  Chinese ; that  they  em- 
“ ploy  them  mostly  to  pick  their  berries.  They  handle 
“them  more  carefully  than  white  people,  I am  informed. 

“ Q.  Was  there  at  one  time  a great  deal  of  fruit  which 
“went  to  waste.?  A.  There  is  now. 

“Q.  Has  it  changed  in  any  respect.?  A.  The  quan- 
“ tity  of  fruit  grown  here  is  immense,  and  at  times  the 
“ waste  is  very  considerable ; but  then  I think  that  there 
“ has  been  less  fruit  wasted  of  late  than  ever  before ; be- 
“ cause  we  have  a great  many  drying  machines,  and  labor 
“ saving  machines,  and  among  others  I class  Chinese  as 
“ one  of  the  labor-saving  machines  of  this  country.  They 
“ utilize  Chinese  in  drying  fruit. 

“ Q.  They  are  employed  in  this  business .?  A.  They 
“ are  to  a great  extent.” 

Mr.  Robert  F.  Peckham,  president  and  managing  agent 
of  the  San  Jose  woolen  mills,  testified  as  follows; — ^ 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  620. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  555. 


78 


FRUIT  SAVED  BY  THE  CHINESE. 


“Q.  Do  you  employ  Chinese?  A.  We  do. 

“ 0.  Are  Chinese  employed  by  other  parties  in  your 
“ neighborhood  in  San  Jose?  A.  Yes,  sir ; they  are  very 
“ generally  employed,  particularly  in  fruit  raising  and  hop 
‘‘  raising.  The  labor  portion  of  business  of  that  kind  is 
“ nearly  all  done  by  Chinamen. 

“Q.  How  many  Chinamen  are  employed  in  your 
“county?  A.  That  I could  not  state. 

“ Q.  In  what  business,  in  what  occupation  are  they 
“ employed  ? A.  In  the  business  of  raising  fruits,  straw- 
“ berries,  blackberries,  currants  and  everything  of  that 
“ kind  they  are  very  generally  employed,  and  I think  per- 
“ form  most  of  that  labor. 

“ Q.  Why  are  they  so  employed  ? A.  I suppose  be- 
“ cause  those  who  employ  them  think  they  can  do  the 
“best  with  them.  We  employ  them  because  it  is  neces- 
“ sary  for  us  to  do  so  in  order  to  compete  in  the  business. 

“ Q.  Is  not  the  fruit  business  carried  on  to  a great  ex- 
“ tent?  A.  To  a very  great  extent.  Our  fruit  from  San 
“Jose  goes  all  over  the  United  States. 

“ Q.  You  say  that  Chinamen  are  employed  a good 
“deal  in  that  business?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  Can  you  tell  me  why  they  are  employed  in  that 
“ business  ? A.  I cannot  state  of  my  own  knowledge. 
“ I can  only  state  what  fruit  raisers  and  the  men  who  em- 
“ploy  Chinese  tell  me,  that  it  is  necessary  to  employ 
“ them,  in  order  to  compete  in  the  business  and  to  make 
“ it  a success. 

“ Q.  Is  there  any  competition  with  the  East  in  fruit 
“ raising?  A.  Our  surplus  fruit  goes  there  for  a market. 

“ Q.  They  send  none  at  all  here?  A.  I think  not, 
“ but  our  fruit  goes  there  by  car-loads,  and  by  train-loads.” 

Mr.  Alexander  Badlam,  assessor  of  the  city  of  San 
Francisco,  stated  in  evidence  before  the  committee  that 
he  had  made  official  inquiries  regarding  the  number  of 


FRUIT  SHIPMENTS. 


79 


Chinese  engaged  in  different  employments  in  the  city,  and 
found  that  about  2,500  were  engaged  in  vending  fruits 
and  vegetables,  and  about  2,200  in  canning  fruits,  making 
pickles,  etc.  ‘ 

Frederick  L.  Castle,  of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Castle  and 
Brothers,  gave  the  following  in  evidence; — “ 

“ Q.  They  raise  a great  deal  of  fruit  here  } A.  Yes, 
“ sir. 

“ Q.  In  former  years  did  they  utilize  it,  or  did  a great 
“ deal  of  it  go  to  waste  } A.  A great  deal  of  it  has  been 
“ going  to  waste. 

“ Q-  What  is  done  with  it  as  a general  thing  now } 

“A.  The  Chinese  have,  this  year  more  particularly, 
“ engaged  themselves  in  the  occupation  of  buying  trees, 
“ paying  so  much  a tree,  and  collecting  the  fruit.  A very 
“ large  amount  of  fruit  that  otherwise  would  have  gone 
“ to  waste,  I think,  the  Chinese  have  managed  to  utilize. 

“ Q.  How  do  they  utilize  it  ? A.  When  a man  has  an 
“ orchard  of  eight  or  ten  acres,  a Chinaman  will  go  and 
“ make  him  an  offer  to  rent  the  orchard  of  him,  so  much 
“ a tree,  or  so  much  for  all. 

“ Q.  What  use  do  they  make  of  the  fruit  ^ A.  They 
“ bring  it  to  the  market  and  sell  it.  A very  large  quantity 
“ of  fruit  is  now  being  shipped  to  the  different  western 
“ cities. 

“ Q.  East  from  here  A.  Yes. 

“ Q.  Dried  fruit  ? A.  Yes,  sir  ; they  dry  it  for  sale. 

“ O.  Do  you  deal  with  them  for  that  fruit  ? A.  Yes, 
“ sir. 

“ Q.  How  much  in  tons  have  been  your  transactions 
“ this  year  in  that  line  with  the  Chinese  ? A.  I suppose 
“ that  in  the  last  sixty  days  I have  purchased  from  six  to 
“ eight  car-loads  of  peaches  and  apples.  A car-load  con- 
“ tains  ten  tons.” 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  253. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  861. 


PART  II— CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN  ' 
CALIFORNIA.  MANUFACTURING. 

The  State  has  made  no  great  progress  in  manufacturing.  Kind  of  manu- 
facturing in  which  Chinese  have  taken  part.  Woolen  goods.  Testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Heynemann  and  Mr.  Peckham  regarding  the  Chinese  as 
operatives  in  woolen  mills.  Jute  bags.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Morgan- 
thau.  Cordage.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Beals.  By  employing  white 
persons  for  superior  work  and  Chinese  for  inferior,  an  average  of  wages 
reached  not  much  higher  than  Eastern  rates.  Cabinet  makers. 
Cigar-boxes,  &c.  Candles  and  soap.  Mr.  Morganthau  again.  Labor 
uncertain  in  California,  because  laborers  are  scarce  and  wages  high. 
Match  factories.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Jessup.  Brooms  and  broom 
brushes.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Pixley,  Mr.  Gillespie  and  Mr.  Cortage. 
Other  industries. 

The  manufacturing  industries  of  California  are  not 
numerous  or  extensive.  The  State  is  still  too  young, 
capital  is  too  dear,  and  wages  too  high  to  admit  of  com- 
petition with  the  Eastern  States  and  Europe.  Whatever 
manufactories  exist  depend  exclusively,  with  one  or  two 
peculiar  exceptions,  upon  the  local  demand.  With  the 
same  exceptions,  local  demands  are  only  in  part  met  by 
them.  Is  it  not  discreditable  to  the  State  that  such  is 
the  condition  of  things.  In  point  of  fact,  it  is  a matter 
of  surprise  that  local  industries  have  accomplished  so 
much. 

While  this  is  true,  the  facts  indicate  further  that 
Chinese  have  become  operatives  in  certain  directions 
only.  I shall  not  stop  at  the  moment  to  state  why  this 
has  been  the  case,  as  it  is  my  purpose  to  make  an  in- 
quiry later  into  the  question  of  the  competition  between 
our  own  people  and  those  of  European  origin,  on  the 


CHINESE  AS  OPERATIVES. 


•81 


one  side,  and  the  Chinese  upon  the  other,  and  the 
effect  which  it  has  had  upon  the  employment  of  the  for- 
mer. I shall  go  no  further  at  the  moment,  than  to  ex- 
hibit the  nature  of  the  large  manufacturing  enterprises 
in  which  the  Chinese  have  been  employed  ; the  extent 
to  which  their  assistance  has  been  availed  of,  and  the 
reasons  why  it  has  been  selected  instead  of  the  assistance 
of  others.  In  the  next  chapter  I shall  speak  of  other 
special  avocations,  requiring  less  capital,  upon  which  they 
have  entered,  not  as  employes  exclusively,  but  also  for 
their  own  account. 

The  more  prominent  of  the  larger  industries  in  which 
they  have  taken  part  as  operatives  are  manufactures  of 
woolen  goods,  of  jute  bags,  of  cordage,  of  boxes  and 
furniture,  of  candles,  matches  and  brooms. 

Of  the  several  industries  mentioned  the  manufacture 
of  woolen  goods  ranks  first  in  point  of  the  date  of  its 
inception,  and  the  magnitude  of  its  operations.  Its  pro- 
moters were  before  the  Congressional  committee  and 
may  be  allowed  to  speak  largely  for  themselves.  It  will 
be  seen  that  these  enterprises  would  not  have  been  under- 
taken in  the  absence  of  the  Chinese  and  that  their  suc- 
cess has  been  only  moderate. 

Herman  Heynemann  testified  as  follows  ; — 

“ Q.  What  is  the  character  of  your  business  } A.  I 
“am  engaged  in  importing  goods  and  also  in  manufac- 
“ turing. 

“ Q.  What  kind  of  manufacturing  ? A.  I am  presi- 
“ dent  of  the  Pioneer  woolen  factory  and  the  agent  of  the 
“Pacific  jute  manufacturing  company.  I am  the  orig- 
“ inator  of  the  former. 

“ Q.  What  are  your  manufactures  ? A.  Woolen. 

“ Q.  Cloths  ? A.  Cloths,  blankets,  flannels,  shawls, 
“ yarns,  and  everything  that  is  made  out  of  wool,  almost. 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  532. 


82 


WOOLEN  MILLS. 


“Q.  Fine  cloths?  A.  Not  fine  cloths,  because  our 
“wool  is  not  adapted  for  that ; but  we  make  good  cloths. 

“ Q.  Is  our  manufacturing  here  more  for  our  own 
“ use  or  for  export  ? A.  Entirely  for  our  own  use. 
“We  are  not  able  to  compete  with  Europe  yet,  so  as  to 
“export. 

“ Q-  What  is  the  magnitude  of  operations  ? A.  Very 
“ limited.  I believe  we  consume  about  2,000,000  pounds 
“of  wool,  and  that  we  export  38,000,000. 

“ Q.  In  what  branches  of  manufacture  are  there  the 
“ largest  institutions  here  ? A.  In  money  value  I believe 
“ the  largest  incorporations  here  are  the  Pioneer  and 
“ the  Mission  woolen  factories.  I do  not  know  how  much 
“ they  have  invested  in  the  rolling  mills,  but  there  is  a 
“ million  of  dollars  now  invested  in  those  woolen  mills. 
“ The  Pacific  rolling  mill  is  the  only  establishment  that 
“could  compare  at  all,  and  I do  not  know  how  much 
“ money  there  is  invested  in  that. 

“ Q.  In  the  other  branches  are  there  any  large  facto- 
“ries?  A.  Yes;  latterly  shoe  factories  have  been 
“ started  here. 

“ Q.  What  number  of  operatives  do  you  employ  ? 
“A.  In  the  two  mills,  I should  judge  that  we  employ 
“ 600. 

“ Q-  What  two  mills  ? A.  The  Pioneer  and  Mis- 
“ sion,  which  form  one  incorporation. 

“ Q.  When  did  you  establish  your  manufactory  ? 
“A.  In  1861  this  incorporation  was  established.  There 
“ was  a little  private  establishment  which  was  burned 
“down,  and  then  I started  this  corporation. 

“ Q.  What  operatives  were  employed  in  the  old  fac- 
“ tory  ? A.  Some  Chinese  and  some  whites. 

“ Q.  Are  all  the  operatives  in  your  factory,  now, 
“Chinese?  A.  No,  sir;  I have  been  listening  to  testi- 
“ mony,  here,  to  the  effect  that  a good  many  white 


CHINESE  INDISPENSABLE. 


83 


‘ laborers  have  been  displaced  by  Chinese.  Just  the  con- 
‘ trary  has  been  taking  place  in  our  factory.  For  instance, 
‘ white  girls  have  taken  the  place  of  Chinese.  As  a mat- 
‘ ter  of  course,  any  superintendent  will  always  give  the 
‘preference  to  people  whom  he  can  understand  rather 
‘ than  to  people  with  whom  he  has  difficulty  to  speak. 
‘ That  is  an  immense  advantage  in  favor  of  white  labor. 

“ Q.  Why  do  you  employ  Chinese  in  your  factory } 
‘ A.  Originally  we  could  not  get  any  others  at  all ; at  that 
‘ time  it  would  have  been  an  absolute  impossibility  to 
‘ have  run  the  factory  upon  white  labor,  simply  because 
‘we  could  not  get  white  operatives. 

“Q.  Would  the  factory  have  been  established  with 
‘white  labor.?  A.  No,  sir;  as  a matter  of  fact,  even 
‘ with  Chinese  labor,  competition  has  been  so  active  that 
‘ we  have  had  no  dividends  whatever. 

“Q.  You  say  that  you  employ  a certain  number  of 
‘Chinese.  Have  you  the  option  of  employing  an  equal 
‘ number  of  boys  or  girls  at  the  same  rates  ? A.  That  is  a 
‘ very  hard  question  to  answer.  If  you  have  got  a number 
‘ of  employes  who  know  exactly  what  to  do,  you  are  not 
‘going  to  discharge  them  and  take  another  number 
‘ without  knowing  whether  they  can  do  the  same  thing  ; 
‘ but  as  labor  is  offering  in  that  particular  factory  every 
‘day,  the  number  of  white  girls  is  increasing,  and  the 
‘ proportionate  number  of  Chinese  is  decreasing. 

“ Q.  Could  you  discharge  the  Chinamen  you  have 
‘ now  employed  and  replace  them  with  white  labor  with- 
‘ out  any  disadvantage  ? A.  We  could  not  do  it.  Of 
‘ course  we  have  taught  a certain  number  of  operatives, 
‘ and  to  discharge  them  all  would  disorganize  everything. 

“ Q.  How  do  the  Chinese  compare  as  operatives  with 
‘ American  boys  and  girls  ? A.  I do  not  know  that 
‘they  are  any  better.  I think  American  boys  and  girls 
‘ would  be  fully  as  good. 


84 


JUTE  FACTORY. 


" Q.  Of  the  whole  number  of  your  operatives  how 
“ many  are  Chinese  ? A.  I should  think  aSout  one-half, 

“ exclusive  of  the  Pacific  jute  factory.  There  the  number 
“ is  almost  entirely  Chinese,  except  the  foreman.  We 
“ tried  there  to  have  Scotch  help,  white  girls.  We  im- 
“ ported  them  for  that  very  purpose,  but  could  not  keep 
“ them  a fortnight.  They  ran  away,  and  we  could  not 
“ keep  them,  so  that  we  have  very  few  now. 

“ Q.  Would  you  be  able  to  go  on  in  manufacturing 
“without  Chinese.’’  A.  I think  it  would  be  prejudicial 
“ generally  to  our  factory.  I would  say,  as  to  the  Pacific 
“jute  factory,  that  it  could  not  go  on  without  Chinese 
“ labor. 

“Q.  What  is  the  difference  A.  In  the  Pacific  jute 
“ factory  the  looms  are  so  much  heavier  that  very  few 
“women  can  run  them. 

“ Q.  Do  women  run  those  looms  in  Scotland  1 A Yes, 
“ sir ; whether  they  are  stronger  there  or  how  it  is  I do 
“ not  understand  ; but  it  is  very  hard  work.  We- are  in 
“ direct  competition  with  them. 

“ Q.  How  many  Chinese  do  you  employ  ? A.  In  the 
“jute  factory,  I should  judge,  about  120. 

“Q.  • How  many  persons  own  this  jute  factory.?  A.  I 
“should  judge  about  30. 

“ Q.  So  the  tariff  is  kept  up  for  the  benefit  of  30  white 
“persons  and  120  Chinamen.?  A.  We  have  not  asked 
“ particularly  to  have  the  tariff  kept  up,  except  that  we 
“ introduced  the  industry  and  we  found  that  we  could 
“ not  compete  without  Chinese  labor. 

“ Q.  The  cost  of  bags  to  the  farmer  is  the  cost  of  pro- 
“ duction  with  the  cost  of  manufacture  added  .?  A.  Not 
“ at  all. 

“ Q.  If  it  were  not  for  the  tariff,  bags  from  Scotland 
“ and  Hindostan  would  be  likely  to  absorb  the  market 
“ here  .?  A.  You  might  have  a bag  that  would  cost  five 


EASTERN  COMPETITION. 


85 


"cents,  but  if  there  was  no  local  factory  it  might  cost 
“ twenty  cents. 

“ Q.  I am  speaking  of  the  competition  between  Dun- 
"dee  and  Hindostan  A.  Suppose  you  have  no  local 
“factory.  You  might  have  to  pay  twenty  cents,  as  you 
“ did  last  year.” 

Mr.  Robert  F.  Peckham,  president  and  managing  agent 
of  the  San  Jose  woolen  mills,  situated  in  the  city  of  San 
Jose,  testified  ; — '' 

“ Q.  How  many  Chinese  do  you  employ  in  your  mill } 
“ A.  When  we  are  running  full  we  employ  about  20 
“white  hands,  and  our  business  gives  employment  to  8 
“ or  10  white  men  outside.  We  employ  about  65  Chinese. 
“ About  three-fourths  of  the  expense  of  running  the  insti- 
“tution,  including  the  labor  performed  in  selling  our 
“goods,  is  paid  to  white  labor,  and  about  one-fourth  is 
“paid  to  Chinese.  We  employ  Chinese  because  it  is 
“necessary  to  compete  in  our  business.  To  our  white 
“ help  we  have  to  pay  wages  far  in  advance  of  what  is 
“ paid  in  similar  institutions  in  the  Eastern  States,  with 
“which  we  come  directly  into  competition.  To  China- 
“ men,  on  an  average,  we  pay  less.  A year  and  a half 
“ ago  we  compared  our  pay-rolls  with  several  factories,  in 
“ the  East,  and  I found  that  in  our  business  and  in  their’s, 
“there  was  but  very  little  difference;  that  with  our 
“ high-priced  white  labor  and  low-priced  Chinese  labor, 
“ we  average  with  them.  They  are  20  per  cent,  under  us 
“ at  this  time. 

“ O.  How  are  you  able  to  compete  with  them  under 
“ these  circumstances  ? A.  I do  not  know  that  we  can 
“ compete  with . them  next  year,  but  we  have  been 
“ able  to  hold  our  own  pretty  well  by  having  the  ad- 
“ vantage  of  the  market  in  the  selection  of  our  wools. 

“ Q.  You  have  some  advantage  or  disadvantage  in  em- 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  555. 


86 


CHINESE  INDISPENSABLE. 


“ ploying  Chinese.  What  is  it  ? A.  With  the  prices  that 
“ are  demanded  for  white  labor  in  California  we  could 
“ not  carry  on  the  business  ; we  should,  have  to  close  our 
“works.  There  are  about  $3,000,000  of  capital  engaged 
“ in  the  business  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  I suppose  that 
“ all  are  in  the  same  fix. 

“ Q.  Can  you  obtain  white  labor  at  the  same  price  ? 
“A.  At  the  prices  we  obtain  Chinese  ? 

“Q.  Yes,  sir.  A.  Very  seldom. 

“ Q.  Could  you  supply  the  places  of  the  Chinese  with 
“ boys  and  girls  ? A.  We  have  tried  a number  of  boys 
“ and  our  experience  with  boys  has  been  that  where  their 
“ parents  are  with  them  at  the  mill,  to  look  after  them 
“ and  see  that  they  perform  their  duty,  we  have  no  trouble 
“with  them.  We  have  several  boys  of  that  kind,  rang- 
“ing  from  14  to  18  or  20  years  of  age,  to  whom  we  pay 
“ wages  considerably  in  advance  of  Chinese  wages.  We 
“ have  tried  the  experiment,  though,  of  employing  other 
“ boys  whose  parents  were  not  there  to  look  after  them, 
“and  it  has  been  a failure.  They  would  work  a few 
“ days  and  then  stop  and  go  off. 

“ 0.  You  say  that  you  have  employed  some  boys  and 
“ girls  at  higher  wages  than  you  give  the  Chinese.  Why 
“do  you  pay  them  higher  wages  if  their  ability  is  the 
“ same  ? A.  I will  say  that,  as  a rule,  whenever  we  can 
“ get  a white  person,  be  he  boy,  man,  or  woman,  who  can 
“ perform  the  duties  of  a Chinaman,  we  give  them  $5  a 
“ month  more  than  we  pay  the  Chinamen  for  the  same 
“ labor. 

“ Q.  Simply  because  you  prefer  to  give  a white  man  the 
“ labor,  if  he  can  do  it  A.  Yes,  sir.  We  prefer  to  do 
“so,  provided  we  can  do  it  and  compete  in  the  business. 

“ O.  And  you  do  that  at  some  pecuniary  sacrifice  ? 

A.  We  do  it  at  pecuniary  sacrifice. 

“ Q.  Would  your  business  of  manufacturing  have  been 


NO  MANUFACTURES  WITHOUT  CHINESE. 


87 


“started,  or  now  exist  without  Chinese  labor?  A.  It 
“ could  not  be  carried  on  without  it. 

“ Q.  The  work,  then,  that  is  being  done  would  not 
“ have  been  done  at  all  ? A.  The  work  that  is  being 
“done  would  not  have  been  done  at  all.  If  the  China- 
“ men  were  taken  from  us  we  should  close  up  to-morrow. 

“ Q.  You  say  the  reason  why  you  are  compelled  to 
“have  cheaper  labor  than  white  is  on  account  of  the  dif- 
“ficulty  of  competition  in  your  business  with  Eastern 
“products?  A.  Yes,  sir;  that  is  the  difficulty. 

“ Q.  Does  the  difficulty  arise  in  no  degree  from  com- 
“ petition  here  with  other  manufacturers?  A.  If  there 
“was  no  competition  with  the  East,  and  all  the  other 
“ mills  here  employed  this  cheap  Chinese  labor,  we  should 
“have  to  do  it  too;  but  if  we  all  agreed  upon  it  here,  and 
“ there  were  no  mills  in  the  East,  we  could  employ  white 
“ labor. 

“ Q.  Does  not  the  expense  of  transportation,  &c.,  give 
“ you  the  control  of  the  market  among  your  various  mills 
“here?  A.  No,  sir;  it  does  not  give  us  the  control. 

“ 0.  Then  notwithstanding  your  cheap  labor,  you  find 
“difficulty  in  competing  with  the  mills  in  the  East?  A. 
“Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  In  this  home  market?  A.  In  this  home  market.” 

Something  has  been  said,  in  the  testimony  quoted 
above,  regarding  the  manufacture  of  jute  bagging  in  Cal- 
ifornia. This  industry  has  become  prominent  for  the 
reason  that  it  is  the  custom,  as  I believe,  to  ship  wheat  in 
bags  from  California,  and  not  in  bulk  as  is  done  in  the 
Eastern  States.  My  information  is  that  ship-owners  and 
insurers,  looking  to  the  length  of  the  voyage  to  Europe, 
and  the  tempestuous  nature  of  some  portion  of  the  seas 
■ to  be  crossed,  have  decided  that  the  cargo  put  up  in  bags 
is  less  likely  to  shift  than  when  in  bulk,  and  have  insisted 
upon  its  being  so  shipped.  The  tax  imposed  upon  the 


88 


MANUFACTURE  OF  BAGS. 


producer  is  a heavy  one,  and  of  course  whatever  would 
tend  to  lower  the  cost  of  bagging  would  be  of  advantage 
to  him.  Beyond  a doubt  the  manufacture  of  bags  upon 
the  spot  has  cheapened  the  cost  of  bagging  at  large  in 
the  San  Francisco  market,  and  the  benefit  to  the  farmer 
has  been  so  direct  and  positive  that,  aside  from  all  ques- 
tions as  to  the  kind  of  labor  employed  in  their  manufac- 
ture, the  promoters  of  the  industry  should  be  considered 
public  benefactors. 

The  following  further  evidence  regarding  this  industry 
was  given  by  Mr.  Max  Morganthau,  a capitalist  of  San 
Francisco,  who  appears  to  have  taken  broad  views  in  re- 
gard to  home  industries,  to  have  made  consistent  efforts, 
extending  over  a long  series  of  years,  to  promote  man- 
ufacturing of  different  kinds,  and  to  have  invested  largely 
in  such  enterprises; — ‘ 

“Q.  How  long  have  you  resided  in  this  State.?  A. 
“ Twenty-seven  years. 

“Q.  What  is  your  business.?  A.  For  the  last  fifteen 
“years,  manufacturing. 

“ O.  What  manufacturing  interests  are  you  connected 
“with.?  A.  I am  interested  in  three  manufactories — 
“the  woolen  mills,  the  jute  factory,  and  the  candle  and 
“ soap  factory. 

“ Q.  How  long  have  you  been  connected  with  the  jute 
“mill.?  A.  Since  it  was  in  existence,  six  years. 

“ Q.  How  many  bags  do  you  make  in  that  mill.?  A. 
“ This  year  we  run  a little  more  than  usual.  We  make 
“about  12,000  a day. 

“ Q.  In  previous  years  where  did  we  get  our  bags.? 
“A.  They  came  from  Scotland. 

\Q.  They  are  grain  bags.?  A.  Yes. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  capital  stock  of  the  company  in  the 
“jute  business.?  A.  Between  $400,000  and  $500,000. 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  Soi. 


CHINESE  INDISPENSABLE. 


89 


" Q.  Do  you  know  the  amount  that  we  paid  Scotland 
“for  bags  before  you  commenced  manufacturing?  A. 
“We  must  have  imported  last  year  from  eighteen  to 
“twenty  million  bags.  My  estimate  may  be  a million 

short ; I cannot  tell. 

“Q.  What  did  those  bags  cost  here?  A.  I am  not 
“posted;  but  I should  think  they  must  have  cost  ten 
“ cents  or  eleven  cents  apiece. 

“Q.  How  many  bags  are  you  manufacturing  now  to 
“ supply  the  place  of  those  ? A.  Within  the  past  four 
“ months  we  have  run  over-time,  and  we  must  have  aver- 
“ aged  not  less  than  1 2,000  a day. 

“ O When  we  imported  bags  at  ten  cents,  oc  eleven 
“cents,  the  aggregate  amounted  to  $2,000,000  annually  ? 
“A.  At  least. 

“ Q.  Do  you  work  Chinese  labor  in  the  jute  factory  ? 
“A.  When  we  ordered  the  machinery,  we  ordered  a 
“ whole  cargo  of  white  people  to  come  with  it  from  Scot- 
“ land  ; but  they  left  us. 

“Q.  For  what  reason?  A.  When  we  engaged  them 
“they  thought  they  had  a good  thing,  and  when  they 
“ arrived  it  seemed  they  could  do  better. 

“Q.  What  did  you  do  then?  A.  We  were  com- 
“pelled  to  shut  up  or  employ  Chinese  labor. 

“Q.  You  employed  Chinese?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  Is  it  not  a fact  in  almost  all  the  departments  of 
“goods  which  we  manufacture  that  we  cannot  get  white 
‘‘  labor  to  enter  into  the  manufacture  of  those  goods  to 
“ any  considerable  extent  to  compete  with  the  East  ? 
“ A.  I am  sorry  to  say  that  there  is  too  much  truth  in  it. 
“We  cannot  get  them.” 

In  regard  to  another  considerable  industry,  the  manu- 
facture of  cordage,  Mr.  Henry  C.  Beals,  editor  of  the 
Commercial  Herald,  of  San  Francisco,  testified  as  fol- 
lows ; — * 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  617. 


90 


MANUFACTURE  OF  CORDAGE. 


“ Q.  I will  ask  you  in  reference  to  cordage.  What  is 
“the  condition  of  that  industry  in  this  State,  and  the 
“ amount  of  the  manufacture  ? A.  I would  say  that 
“about  a year  ago,  at  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Tubbs,  who 
“is  president  and  leading  holder  of  the  San  Francisco 
“ cordage  factory,  I went  out  and  visited  the  factory  with 
“ him.  I went  all  through  it  and  saw  the  working  of  the 
“whole  establishment.  I am  also  familiar  with  it  in  other 
“ways.  About  a week  or  so  ago,  I met  Mr.  Tubbs  and 
“ spoke  to  him  in  regard  to  the  factory.  He  took  occa- 
“ sion  then  to  tell  me,  what  I knew  before,  that  they  em- 
“ ploy  exclusively  Chinese  labor  there.  This  was  only  a 
“fortnight  ago.  He  told  me  that  it  was  utterly  impossi- 
“ ble  for  him  to  manufacture  cordage  without  Chinese 
“ labor ; that  they  had  tried  Chinese  labor  and  were  sat- 
“isfied  that  the  employment  of  white  people  to  manu- 
“ facture  cordage  was  a matter  entirely  beyond  their  con- 
“trol.  Heretofore,  until  the  establishment  of  this  cord- 
“age  factory,  we  imported  our  cordage  almost  entirely 
“from  New  Bedford.  Since  the  establishment  of  this 
“factory,  owing  to  the  encouragement  they  have  had, 
“there  has  been  another  factory  started  at  Alameda, 
“ which  also  manufactures  cordage,  and  they  also  employ 
“ Chinese.  The  result  has  been  that  now  almost  the 
“ entire  amount  of  cordage  that  is  used  here,  is  manufac- 
“ tured  by  ourselves. 

“ Q.  Could  they  compete  with  New  York  ? A.  No. 

“ Q.  They  sent  it  there  and  sold  it  at  a loss  ? A.  They 
“sent  it  there  and  sold  it  at  a loss.  They  sent  it  there, 
“ and  bucked  against  them  as  we  say. 

“ Q.  Both  of  these  factories  employ  Chinese  ? A.  As 
“ to  the  one  at  Potrero,  I am  not  so  sure,  but  I am  quite 
“ confident  that  the  other  one  does. 

“ Q.  Have  you  the  imports  for  a year  or  two  past  ? 
“ A.  The  imports  are  here  for  a series  of  years,  but  the 
“ increased  consumption  would  probably  explain  it. 


EMPLOYMENT  OF  CHINESE. 


91 


“ Q.  Read  them,  please  ? A.  The  imports  of  cordage 
“in  1871  were,  12,741  coils,  1,930  packages;  in  1872, 
“11,337  coils  2,535  packages;  in  1873,  7,370  coils 
“and  1,766  packages;  in  1874,  5,288  coils  and  485 
“packages;  in  1875,7,238  coils  and  874  packages ; which 
“ shows  a very  large  falling  off.  * * The  consumption 

“ of  cordage  on  this  coast  approximates  six  millions  and 
“a  half  pounds  per  annum.  Now,  nearly  all  that  six 
“ millions  and  a half  pounds  is  manufactured  here  from 
“ Manila  hemp,  imported  in  a rough  state,  mostly  sent 
“from  Manila  to  Hong  Kong,  and  from  there  in  the 
“ steamers.” 

It  would  seem  that  the  statement  made  by  Mr.  Beals, 
that  the  San  Francisco  cordage  factory  employed  only 
Chinese,  must  be  accepted  with  a reservation.  Un- 
doubtedly, the  foremen  would  have  been  Americans,  and 
no  doubt  as  engineers,  teamsters,  &c.,  a considerable 
number  of  Americans  must  have  been  employed.  A 
table  prepared  by  Mr.  Lessler,  a witness  before  the  com- 
mission, indicates  that  the  works  named  employ  45  white 
men  and  boys,  and  30  Chinamen  ; and  that  two  junior 
enterprises  of  the  same  kind,  but  of  less  magnitude,  were 
employing  whites  only.^  Still  another  table,  given  in  Mr. 
Brooks’  brief,  indicates  that  one  of  these  two  factories 
did  employ  Chinese,  the  number  of  employes  being  33 
whites  and  30  Chinese.®  A more  careful  inquiry  would 
have  shown,  no  doubt,  that  Chinese  performed  the  simpler 
work  of  the  given  factories,  and  at  less  wages  than  the 
whites,  and  that  these  mills,  like  the  woolen  mills,  were 
able  to  make  in  this  way  an  average  cost  of  labor,  which 
would  enable  them  to  compete  with  cordage-makers 
elsewhere. 

The  information  given  in  the  report  of  the  Congres- 
sional committee,  in  regard  to  the  Chinese  as  cabinet- 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1212. 


Br.  Br.  Ap.  D, 


92 


CABINET-MAKING,  ETC. 


makers  and  box-makers,  is  meagre.  Mr.  Badlam,  city 
assessor,  stated  in  evidence,  that  about  “ 3 50  are  engaged 
“in  making  cigar-boxes.”^  Mr.  James  R.  Rogers,  an 
officer  of  police,  detailed  to  give  information  and  report 
upon  the  industries  in  which  the  Chinese  were  taking 
part,  makes  no  mention  of  their  employment  in  this 
branch.  Mr.  Lessler’s  table  contains  a list  of  box  fac- 
tories— packing,  paper,  tin,  and  for  cigars — with  a state- 
ment of  the  persons  employed,  which  does  not  indicate 
that  any  Chinese  whatever  were  so  employed.  The  tables 
given  by  Mr.  Brooks  show,  however,  that  in  four  cigar- 
box  factories,  85  whites  and  125  Chinese  were  occupied.® 
As  these  were  not  Chinese  factories,  and  as  the  Chinese 
would,  undoubtedly,  enter  upon  this  kind  of  enterprise 
for  themselves,  the  whole  number  of  them  at  such  work 
may  have  been  as  great  as  Mr.  Badlam  estimated. 

Regarding  their  employment  as  cabinet-makers  proper 
both  Mr.  Badlam  and  Mr.  Rogers  are  silent.  Mr.  Brooks 
and  Mr.  Lessler  give  lists  of  twenty  establishments  in 
which  something  more  than  1,000  whites  and  about  70 
Chinese  were  at  work. 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  industry,  cigar-box  making 
aside,  has  not  attained  to  importance  in  California,  and 
that  the  employment  of  Chinese  in  it  is  not  extensive. 
In  point  of  fact  the  native  woods  of  the  Pacific  coast  have 
not  been  found  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  furniture, 
and  wages  have  been  too  high  to  admit  of  competition 
with  the  factories  of  the  Eastern  States.  It  may  be  said 
with  safety  that  95  per  cent,  of  all  the  furniture  used  is 
imported  from  the  East,  and  the  same  is  true,  as  I believe, 
of  the  carriages  and  wagons. 

In  the  manufacture  of  candles  and  soap  Mr.  Lessler 
and  Mr.  Brooks  agree  in  ennumerating  three  factories 
employing  in  all  29  whites  and  63  Chinese. 

“Lr.  Br.,  Ap.  D. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  723. 


CANDLES  AND  SOAP. 


93 


This  is  an  industry  which  should  take  large  propor- 
tions in  California,  for  the  reason  that  tallow  is  produced  in 
the  State  in  large  quantities.  Mr.  Morganthau,  to  whose 
evidence  in  another  direction  I have  already  referred,  gave 
to  the  committee  a history  of  his  experience  in  candle 
and  soap  making,  and  various  facts  bearing  upon  the 
trade,  which  are  interesting.  ‘ 

“ Q.  Up  to  a very  few  years  ago  did  we  not  buy  all 
“ the  candles  from  the  East  that  we  used  on  this  coast  1 
“A.  To  my  great  sorrow  we  buy  them  to-day  from  the 
“ East. 

“ 0.  Do  we  not  send  our  tallow  to  Boston  and  the 
“ East,  and  it  is  made  into  candles  and  sent  back  here } 
“A.  Last  year  we  shipped  away  from  here  several  mil- 
“ lions  pounds  of  tallow.  * * The  amount  (of  candles) 
“ our  factory  turns  out  now  is  about  6o,ooo  boxes.  An- 
“ other  factory  here  reaches  75,000  boxes,  but  I do  not 
“ believe  that  we  use  less  than  600,000  or  700,000  boxes 
“ a year. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  we  imported  that  number.?  A. 
“We  import  them  now. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  value  of  the  candles  we  imported 
“before  you  went  into  the  business.?  A.  I will  take 
“the  average  of  100  boxes  at  $3  a box. 

“ Q.  How  many  boxes  do  we  import  now.?  A.  I 
“should  think  that  we  import  to-day  not  less  than  five  or 
“ six  hundred  thousand  boxes.  I think  that  is  a close  ap- 
“ proximate. 

“Q.  That  would  be  $1,800,000  worth  that  we  import 
“now.?  A.  Not  less  than  that. 

“ Q.  Has  not  the  business  of  making  candles  been  open 
“ to  capitalists  here  for  20  years .?  A.  Yes,  sir;  it  is  open 
“ to  everybody.  It  is  not  a paying  business  to-day.  We 
“cannot  compete. 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  896. 


94 


COMPETITION  DIFFICULT. 


“ Q.  Because  you  cannot  get  the  tallow?  A.  We  can 
“ get  plenty  of  it  cheaper  than  in  the  East. 

“ Q.  Do  you  employ  Chinese  in  your  manufactories? 
“A.  Lately;  but  not  all.  There  is  no  factory  run  on 
“ this  coast  but  that  you  may  say  66  per  cent,  of  the  wages 
“goes  to  white  labor.  * * For  instance  here  is  my  pay- 
“ roll.  When  I started  I had  nothing  but  white  labor, 
“ and  I will  show  the  difficulty.  I started  in  with  girls 
“ principally.  (Exhibiting  books.) 

“ O.  State  how  the  pay-rolls  run  ? A.  When  I 
“took  them  on  the  business,  July  29th,  1871,  I had  not  a 
“single  Chinaman  employed.  All  those  I had  employed 
“ was  one  man  here,  $2  a day — a white  man  ; another, 
“$1.50;  another,  $1.50  ; another  man,  $r.  Here  comes 
“again,  $1.50.  Now  come  the  girls,  87 cents  a day 
“ right  along.  So  this  pay-roll  goes  on.  Now  down 
“here  again  are  some  men,  $2,  $2,  $2,  $1.75,  $2,  $2,  &c.; 
“$2.50;  $2.  This  goes  on  up  to  December  2nd,  1871. 
“ From  then  I started  to  put  in  a few  Chinamen.  The 
“ reason  was  this  ; — As  I have  stated  my  man  had  no 
“capital.  I went  out  every  day  to  see  what  was  going 
“ on  at  the  factory.  I came  out  one  morning  and  found  no 
“steam  up.  I asked  our  people  what  was  the  matter. 
“ ‘ Well,  the  girls  did  not  come  to-day.’  ‘ What  is  the 
“ ‘ trouble  ?’  ‘ They  got  a holiday.’  Said  I,  ‘ What  holi- 

“ ‘ day  ? There  is  no  holiday  in  the  city.’  They  said 
“ ‘ Oh,  well,  we  did  not  want  to  tell  you.  We  stop  very 
“ ‘ often.  We  have  days  here  when  we  cannot  work.’ 
“ Said  I,  ‘ Mr.  Winters,’ — that  is  the  name  of  the  superin- 
“ tendent — ‘ I will  tell  you  what  holidays  I recognize  in 
“ ‘ this  place.  I I'ecognize  Christmas,  New  Year’.s,  Fourth 
“ ‘ of  July,  and  you  may  give  them  St.  Patrick’s  day  and 
“ ‘every  Sunday,  but  any  other  holiday  I have  got 
“ ‘ to  stop,  because,  you  see,  when  these  girls  do  not 
“ ‘ come  all  the  rest  of  the  work  is  stopped.  We  start 


UNCERTAINTY  OF  LABOR. 


95 


“ ‘ up  in  the  morning  at  five  o’clock  with  the  steam,  and 
“ ‘ and  they  do  not  give  us  notice,  and  do  not  come. 
“ ‘ The  coals  are  gone,  and  the  other  hands  have  to  be 
“ ‘sent  away.  That  thing  must  be  stopped.  If  it  is  not 
“ ‘ stopped  I will  shut  up  the  factory.’  * * Finally 

“ they  abandoned  the  premises.  They  would  not  work. 
“ I had  a soap  man  there.  The  soap  man  I paid  $2.50  a 
“day.  One  day  my  man  came  in  and  said,  ‘Mr.  Morgan- 
“ ‘thau,  we  have  got  to  quit.  There  is  no  soap  man. 
“ ‘The  man  is  dead  drunk.  It  is  a dangerous  business. 
“ ‘ He  may  blow  up  our  whole  factory.  Can  you  get 
“ ‘ another  one  ?’  It  is  always  the  same  thing  when  I 
“ I start  to  do  something.  I have  tried  fifteen  soap  men, 
“but  I have  not  got  one  for  the  last  eighteen  months. 
“ It  is  a great  risk  to  sacrifice  the  other  men  who  are 
“ there  taking  care  of  the  machinery,  so  that  in  fact  I 
“ have  not  had  one  for  the  last  eighteen  months.  There 
“are  none  here. 

“ O.  Look  at  your  pay-roll  to-day  and  state  how  it  is  } 
“ A.  I started  in  with  Chinese.  The  first  Chinese  was 
“ December  6th.  I paid  them  $27.  The  whole  pay-roll 
“ is  $287.30,  of  which  the  Chinese  received  $27.  The  next 
“week  the  Chinese  labor  was  $30,  and  the  whole  pay- 
“ roll  was  $290.  This  does  not  include  the  superintend- 
“ent.  The  following  week  the  Chinese  labor  was  $26.25, 
“ and  the  pay-roll  was  $260.40. 

“ Q.  State  how  it  is  now  ? A.  To-day  the  pay-roll 
“ is  one  white  man,  $5  ; one  white  man,  $3.50  ; one  white 
“man,  engineer,  $4.12^  ; one  white  man,  $2  ; one  white 
“man,  $2.25  ; one  boy,  $1.50  ; Chinese  boss,  $1.25  ; Chi- 
“naman,  $i  ; Chinaman,  $i  ; Chinaman,  $i  ; and  so 
“on.  The  pay-roll  to-day  is  $298.  With  $60  for  the 
“superintendent,  the  whole  pay-roll  is  $358,  and  out  of 
“that  the  Chinese  receive  $162. 

“ Q.  The  reason  you  give  for  the  employment  of  these 


9G 


MANUFACTURE  OF  MATCHES. 


“ Chinese  is  not  on  account  of  your  getting  them  cheaper, 
“ but  on  account  of  the  unreliability  of  the  white  men 
“ you  had  before  ? A.  Exactly ; I should  keep  white 
“ labor  any  time.  I have  always  given  instructions,  not 
“only  in  the  candle  factory  but  in  the  woolen  mills, 
“ wherever  you  can  place  white  labor,  as  near  as  possible, 
“ always  give  whites  the  preference. 

“ 0.  Even  at  higher  rates  ? A.  If  not  too  much.  I 
“ always  prefer  to  give  them  the  preference.” 

The  recital  of  experience  thus  given  will  not  seem  singu- 
lar to  persons  who  are  familiar  with  the  conditions  of  labor 
in  newly  settled  districts.  Laboring  men  and  operatives 
are  unsteady  in  their  habits  of  labor  just  in  proportion  as 
they  do  not  feel  the  pressure  of  necessity.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say,  perhaps,  that  the  same  proposition  could  be 
predicated  of  men  in  all  departments  of  life.  With  high 
wages,  for  such  the  wages  of  California  are,  and  with 
many  opportunities  for  employment  open,  the  laborer 
regards  hard  work  as  a thing  to  be  avoided,  either  by  a 
choice  of  pleasanter  employment  or  by  the  taking  of 
frequent  holidays.  It  is  only  when  competition  is  close, 
and  the  difficulty  of  earning  bread  is  great,  that  steady 
assiduity  in  one  vocation  is  to  be  expected. 

According  to  the  tables  given  by  Mr.  Lessler  and  Mr. 
Brooks,  there  were  three  match  factories  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, in  1876,  in  which  38  Americans  and  25  Chinese 
were  employed. 

Mr.  William  H.  Jessup,  a manufacturer  of  matches, 
testified  before  the  commission,  as  follows  ; — ' 

“ Q.  Have  you  had  experience  in  the  employment  of 
“boys,  girls,  and  Chinese.^  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ 0.  What  have  been  the  results  of  your  experience  ? 
“A.  The  result  of  my  experience  with  boys  and  girls 
“was  very  unsatisfactory. 

^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  816.  • 


WHITE  ARTISANS  UNCERTAIN. 


97 


“Q.  What  was  the  difficulty  in  the  employment  of  boys? 
“A.  They  were  unreliable,  both  in  constancy  to  labor 
“ and  in  their  conduct  about  the  factory.  I never  could 
“rely  upon  them  to  perform  their  work  satisfactorily.  If 
“ I would  leave  them  and  go  up  the  street,  when  I came 
“ back  I would  find  them  throwing  matches  all  over  the 
“ factory,  and  sometimes  I would  find  them  on  top  of  the 
“building  chasing  each  other  over  the  roof. 

“ 0.  How  long  did  you  try  to  carry  on  your  factory 
“ with  boys  ? A.  Something  near  a year.  Before  I went 
" to  hiring  Chinese  labor,  I hired  white  men.  I set  them 
“ to  work,  and  gave  them  good  wages  from  the  first. 
“ They  were  dissatisfied.  They  were  not  satisfied  to 
“ take  the  rate  we  could  pay  to  compete  with  imported 
“ matches.  We  were  compelled  to  hire  labor  as  cheaply 
“ as  possible  in  order  to  produce  the  article  in  any  way. 
“ They  would  commence  to  work,  and  would  expect  to 
“ make  good  wages  from  the  first.  If  they  could  not,  they 
“would  be  dissatisfied.  For  instance,  in  learning  they 
“ would  probably  not  make  even  ten  or  fifteen  cents  a 
“day,  and  the  Chinamen,  now,  practiced  hands,  would 
“ make  probably  $3  a day,  at  the  same  rate  we  were  then 
“ paying  for  putting  up  matches. 

“ Q.  From  what  class  of  people  did  your  white  men 
“ come  ? A.  The  laboring  class,  as  a general  thing. 

“ Q.  They  were  of  no  particular  nationality  ? A.  No; 
“ none  at  all. 

“Q.  You  had  to  take  green  hands  altogether  ? A.  I 
“had  to  take  green  hands  altogether.  There  were  no 
“ instructed  hands  here,  no  artisans  who  understood  the 
“ business  at  all.  Occasionally  a man  would  come  along 
“who  understood  manufacturing,  but  he  would  want  $3^ 
“ or  $4  a day,  to  begin  with.  I have  two  or  three  such  in 
“ the  wooden  department.  I there  make  wooden  boxes 


98 


CHINESE  LABOR. 


“to  put  the  matches  in.  There  I employ  some  half 
“dozen  white  ,men. 

“ Q.  What  was  the  next  change  you  made  ? A.  The 
next  change  I made  was  to  try  girls  in  the  packing  of 
“ matches  and  putting  them  up,  and  I found  more  difh- 
“ culty  with  them  than  with  the  boys,  and  could  not  do 
“ anything  Avith  them. 

“ O.  From  what  classes  did  your  girls  come.-*  A.  The 
“ poorer  classes ; laboring  women. 

“ O.  What  do  you  say  was  the  difficulty  with  them  ? 
“A.  They  were  unreliable,  and  they  were  dissatisfied 
“ because  they  could  not  make  good  wages  from  the  first. 

“0.  In  what  respect  were  they  unreliable?  A.  I 
“ could  not  depend  upon  them.  When  I would  show 
“ them  how  to  do  a thing  and  go  away  and  leave  them,  I 
“could  not  rely  upon  their  doing  it.  They  would  not  be 
“ instructed.  That  was  a difficulty  I found  with  the  boys. 
“It  was  utterly  impossible  to  set  them  to  work  and  give 
“ them  instructions  that  they  would  abide  by.  They 
“ would  make  little  changes  to-day  and  little  changes  to- 
“ morrow,  and  in  a word,  you  would  find  them  doing  en- 
“ tirely  different  from  the  instructions  you  gave  them. 

“ Q.  The  boys  you  say  would  not  stick  to  work  ? 
“ A.  They  would  not  stick  to  work,  and  would  destroy 
“ the  property,  and  it  was  the  same  characteristic  in  re- 
“ spect  to  learning  as  with  the  girls. 

“O.  How  Avas  it  in  reference  to  the  girls?  A.  They 
“Avere  always  fooling  and  talking,  and  could  not  get  their 
“ minds  down  to  business. 

Q.  What  Avas  the  next  change  you  made?  A.  The 
“ next  change  I made  was  to  hire  Chinamen. 

“ Q.  What  Avas  the  result  of  that  experiment  ? A. 
“ The  result  of  that  was  the  building  up  of  a factory  to 
“ the  exclusion  of  the  imported  matches. 

“ Q.  Did  you  carry  on  that  business  at  a profit?  A, 
“ I did. 


ADVANTAGES  OF  CHINESE  LABOR.  99 

“ Q.  Did  you  carry  on  the  business  with  either  boys, 

“ girls  or  white  men  at  a profit  ? A.  I never  could  have 
“succeeded.  I am  satisfied  of  that  fact. 

“ Q.  In  what  respect  did  the  Chinese  prove  more  ad- 
“ vantageous A.  They  were  more  attentive  to  their 
“business;  there  was  no  fooling  or  leaving  of  their  work. 

“ They  would  stay  and  work,  and  they  were  satisfied  with 
“ the  wages  that  they  made,  depending  all  the  while  on 
“ the  facility  in  getting  along  faster,  turning  out  more 
“ work  after  a while,  and  they  would  learn.  They  would 
“ follow  instructions.  You  take  a Chinaman,  a green  boy, 
“ into  your  factory  and  show  him  just,  how  to  do  a thing, 
“ and  if  you  leave  him  and  come  back,  if  it  is  a year  after- 
ward,  you.  find  him  doing  the  work  precisely  as  you  in- 
“ structed  him.  Whenever  you  have  given  him  proper 
“ instructions  he  will  abide  by  those  instructions.” 

The  manufacture  of  brooms  and  broom  brushes  ap- 
pears to  be  one  of  the  very  few  industries  which  has  been 
carried  so  far  in  California  as  to  enable  dealers  to  ship 
their  goods  to  foreign  ports  in  considerable  quantities. 
The  total  number  made  in  1876  was  about  70,000  dozens, 
and  of  these  about  20,000  were  sent  to  Australia,  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  New  Zealand,  Peru  and  Chile.  I un- 
derstand from  the  evidence  that  the  home  market  for 
brooms  is  wholly  supplied  by  the  local  factories. 

The  Honorable  Frank  M.  Pixley  testified  before  the 
commission  regarding  this  industry,  as  follows; — * “About 
“ ten  or  eleven  years  ago  my  brother,  who  is  a poor  man 
“ and  a mechanic,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  broom 
“ handles.  He  employed  about  six  white  workmen. 
“ Their  wages  were  from  three  to  four  and  a half  dollars 
“a  day,  according  to  their  skill  in  running  turning-lathes. 
“*  * Shortly  after  he  had  gotten  into  the  business 

“ some  one  else  established  a factory  and  employed  four 
“ or  five  Chinese  to  work  it.  In  a very  short  time  these 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  567. 


100 


MANUFACTURE  OF  BROOMS. 


“ Chinese  became  so  expert  in  the  manufacture  that  they 
“ established  the  trade  themselves,  with  one  white  man  as 
“ foreman.  The  capital  required  was  not  large,  and  the 
“result  was  that  the  six  or  seven  Chinamen,  under  a 
“ white  man,  took  up  the  business.  They  were  required 
“to  keep  a horse  and  wagon  to  dispose  of  their  wares. 
“ This  horse  was  kept  in  a stable.  The  Chinese  lived  in 
“ the  same  stable  with  the  horse,  fed  and  cooked  for  them- 
“ selves  in  an  upper  loft,  and  slept  there,  and  so  reduced 
“ the  wages  that  much,  thrusting  in  this  particular  in- 
“ stance  my  brother  out  of  his  employment.” 

This  would  appear  to  have  been  the  modest  beginning 
of  the  business  in  California.  It  does  not  appear,  how- 
ever, that  the  competition  of  “six  or  seven”  Chinese  have 
kept  all  Americans  out  of  the  business,  or  that  the  capac- 
ity to  live  over  a stable  is  the  only  factor  involved  af- 
fecting the  ability  of  the  two  races  to  compete  in  the  bus- 
iness. 

Mr.  Lessler  and  Mr.  Brooks  both  give  tables  of  the 
employment  of  artisans  in  this  department.  The  latter 
enumerates  five  factories  in  which  115  men  and  35  boys 
were  engaged,  but  no  Chinese. 

It  would  seem  to  be  true,  however,  that  the  Chinese 
have  competed  actively  in  the  business.  Mr.  Robert  H. 
Gillespie,  a practical  broom-maker,  testified  before  the 
commission  that  “ nearly  every  factory  in  the  State  em- 
“ ploys  Chinese'”  ^ The  same  witness  testified  further, 
however,  that  “there  are  some  Chinese  who  .make  as 
“ high  as  ten  dollars  a week  manufacturing  brooms  by 
“ the  piece  that  whites  earned  at  an  earlier  date  as  much 
as  $26  dollars  a week  ; that  some  at  the  moment  were 
earning  $15  ; and  that  the  latter  are  so  much  more  ex- 
pert than  the  Chinese  that  they  are  able  to  make  400 
brooms  a week,  of  a kind  of  which  the  Chinese  would 
make  only  300;  or  800  of  another  against  600. 

' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  356. 


RELATIVE  WAGES. 


101 


Another  broom-maker,  Mr.  Edward  L.  Cortage,  tes- 
tified that  .exclusive  of  Oregon,  between  90  and  100 
Chinese  were  engaged  on  the  Avhole  coast  in  the  manu- 
facture of  brooms.  The  same  witness  said  ; — * “Accord- 
“ ing  to  hearsay,  in  the  big  cities  of  the  Union,  the  prices 
“were  pretty  nearly  on  an  average  all  the  time  until 
“ 1869  or  1870,  when  Eastern  prices  came  down  a trifle. 
“Nowadays  broom-makers  are  generally  hired  by  the 
“ month,  and  attend  to  everything,  even  on  the  farm. 
“ The  prices  paid  in  St.  Louis  are  exactly  the  same  as 
“ those  paid  here  now ; there  might  be  a quarter  of  a 
“ cent  on  some  kinds  of  work  more,  or  a quarter  of  a 
“cent  on  another  kind  of  work  less,  but  it  is  about  the 
“ same  thing.” 

The  inference  from  all  this  is,  that  the  broom-makers 
of  San  Francisco  have  been  obliged  of  late  by  the  com- 
petition in  their  trade,  a part  of  which  has  been  that  of 
Chinese,  to  work  for  less  wages  than  formerly,  but  cer- 
tainly not  for  less  than  Eastern  broom-makers,  and  that 
a considerable  industry  has  been  built  up  in  the  State  as 
a consequence,  which  otherwise  would  have  languished, 
as  manufacturing  generally  languishes,  in  the  State. 

The  other  special  industries  in  which  Chinamen  in 
San  Francisco  were  engaged  in  1876,  were  the  making 
of  boots  and  shoes,  of  hats  and  caps,  of  cigars,  of  cloth- 
ing and  shirts,  of  lace  and  embroidery,  and  in  laundry- 
work.  As  we  have  already  seen,  others  were  engaged 
in  canning  and  preserving  fruits  and  pickles,  and  a few 
seem  to  have  been  employed  in  and  about  glass-works, 
glue-works,  and  in  powder-mills  and  tanneries  and  as  tin- 
smiths. Such  remarks  as  I have  to  make  regarding  their 
participation  in  these  several  industries  are  reserved  for 
the  next  chapter. 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  356. 


PART  II.— CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN 
CALIFORNIA.  SPECIAL  INDUSTRIES. 

The  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Bacllam,  Mr. 
Rogers,  and  Mr.  Lessler,  as  to  the  number  of  Chinese  employed. 
Wages  paid  to  journeymen  shoe-makers  in  1871-1875.  Prices  of  shoes 
reduced.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Gibson  and  Mr.  Beals.  California  a 
leather  producing  .State.  Hats  and  caps.  Manufacture  of  cigars,  &c. 
Testimony  of  Mr.  Beals.  Two-thirds  of  the  cigars  used  made  in  the 
State.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Morganthau.  Number  of  Chinese  engaged. 
Testimony  of  Mr.  Rogers,  Mr.  Badlain,  Mr.  Lessler,  Mr.  Brooks  and 
Mr.  Muther.  Wages  of  Chinese  and  Americans.  Wages  in  California 
and  the  East  compared.  California  tobacco.  Advantage  of  home 
manufacture.  Industries  of  the  needle.  Relative  employment  of  the 
Chinese.  Relative  rates  of  wages.  Woolen  manufactures.  Testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Morganthau.  Shirt-making.  Laundries.  Testimony 
regarding  number  of  Chinese  employed.  Lower  rates  for  laundry- 
work  has  inured  chiefly  to  advantage  of  poorer  classes.  Testimony  of 
Mr.  Babcock.  Glass-works,  glue-works,  powder-mills,  &c. 

Mr.  Badlam,  assessor  of  the  city  of  San  Francisco, 
stated  to  the  Congressional  commission,  as  the  result  of 
official  inquiry,  that  from  1,500  to  2,000  Chinese  were 
engaged  in  making  boots  and  shoes ; and  1,000  more  in 
making  slippers.'  Another  witness,  Mr.  Rogers,  an  officer 
of  police,  stated  that  there  were  “ eleven  slipper  manu- 
“ factories  in  San  Francisco,  where  large  quantities  of 
“this  article  are  made,  the  main  work  being  done  by 
“ men  at  the  shop,  and  the  finishing  by  Chinese  women 
“at  their  homes  during  the  day;  in  fact,  nearly  all  of 
“ this  article  is  from  Chinese  labor.” 

' Speaking  of  shoes  and  gaiters  in  particular,  this  wit- 
ness said  ; — “ An  immense  amount  of  material  is  manu- 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  252. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1168. 


BOOTS  AND  SHOES. 


103 


“ factured  into  merchandise  of  this  nature.  * * There 

“is  no  doubt  but  what  eight-tenths  of  the  ladies’  and 
“ children’s  gaiters  and  shoes,  made  in  this  city,  are  of 
“ Chinese  manufacture.” 

Another  witness,  Mr.  Morris  Lessler,  presented  to  the 
commission  a series  of  statistical  tables,  which  he  had 
compiled,  after  inquiry  throughout  the  city.'  From  these 
it  would  appear  that  there  were  thirteen  firms  and 
associations  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and 
shoes ; that  six  of  these  employed  Chinese ; that  the 
number  of  Chinese  so  employed  was  470,  and  of  Ameri- 
cans, or  persons  of  other  nationalities  not  Chinese,  338  ; 
that  in  the  seven  other  establishments,  574  Americans 
were  engaged,  and  that  about  1,500  Chinese  were  em- 
ployed by  Chinamen  in  the  same  line,  or  were  working 
for  themselves. 

The  business  of  shoe-making  in  San  Francisco  is  one, 
therefore,  which  had  already,  in  1876,  attained  to  con- 
siderable magnitude.  The  result  w^as  exactly  what  might 
have  been  expected  ; the  cost  of  making  shoes  had  been 
greatly  lowered,  and  the  reduced  cost  of  manufacture 
had  been  followed  by  a considerable  reduction  in  selling 
rates. 

Mr.  Charles  L.  Lancaster,  a practical  shoe-maker,  ap- 
peared before  the  commission  as  the  representative  of  a 
shoe-makers’  association,  and  gave  evidence  regarding  the 
rates  paid  for  manufacturing  which  I tabulate  as  fol- 
lows ; — 

Kind  ol  work.  Price  per  doz.  in  1871.  1875. 

Ladies,  French  kid  boots $12  00  $ 9 00 

“ kid  Balmorals 10  50  8 50 

Men’s,  Oxford  ties 10  50  8 50 

“ Neilson  “ 10  50  8 50 

Ladies,  3x  cloth,  fox  kid  buttoned  boots.  9 00  7 $0 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1211.  ® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  341. 


104 


PRICES  REDUCED. 


Kind  of  work.  Pric 

Ladies,  ix  doth,  kid  buttoned  boots. 
“ IX  Balmorals 


doz. 

in  1871. 

1875. 

9 

00 

5 

50 

8 

00 

5 

50 

18 

00 

10 

00 

9 

00 

7 

00 

9 

00 

7 

00 

28 

00 

14 

00 

23 

00 

1 1 

00 

15 

00 

7 

10 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  reduction  in  the  cost  of  the 
manual  part  of  the  manufacture  ranged  from  50  to  20 
per  cent. 

As  to  selling  rates,  the  Reverend  Otis  Gibson  testified 
before  the  commission  as  follows  ; — ^ 

“ Before  we  had  much  Chinese  labor  here,  or  any 
“manufacture  of  boots  or  shoes,  we  imported  mostly 
“from  Massachusetts.  The  money  of  California  went 
“ out  of  the  State  to  the  manufacturers  of  INIassachusetts, 
“and  every  man  paid  100  per  cent,  more  for  the  boots  and 
“ shoes  that  he  wore  in  this  State,  than  he  pays  to-day. 
“The  750,000  or  1,000,000  men  in  California  must  pay  the 
“ 500  or  1,000  shoe-makers  in  the  State  double  price  for 
“ boots  and  shoes,  or  pay  it  to  IMassachusetts,  or  let  the 
“ boots  and  shoes  be  manufactured  by  cheaper  labor.  * * 
“ Every  man  now  gets  his  boots  and  shoes  for  less  money 
“ than  he  could  get  them  by  having  to  pay  it  to  boot  and 
“shoe-makers  in  the  white  trade.” 
hir.  Beals  testified  ; — ^ 

“ Formerly  boots  and  shoes  were  brought  here  entirely 
“from  Philadelphia  and  Massachusetts.  Of  course  they 
“came  from  New  York  more  or  less,  but  since  the  estab- 
“ lishment  of  Chinese  factories  here,  the  quantity  brought 
“ from  there  has  diminished  very  materially.  It  was  not 
“ until  the  establishment  of  the  Chinese  boot  and  shoe 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  516 


*Rep.  Ch,  Im.,  p.  618. 


BENEFITS  TO  CONSUMERS. 


103 


“factories  that  other  people  were  drawn  into  the  business. 
“ * * The  total  importations  it  would  be  diffr- 

“cult  to  give  because  the  size  of  packages  is  very 
“ conflicting  and  there  is  no  way  of  obtaining  information 
“ as  to  the  number  of  dozen  in  a case.” 

While  these  declarations  are  not  of  the  most  definite 
sort,  and  I have  no  data  by  which  I can  compare  with 
exactness  the  prices  for  which  boots  and  shoes  were  sold 
at  different  dates,  and  determine  the  effect  of  local  manu- 
factures upon  the  market,  it  is  entirely  certain  that 
consumers  have  been  largely  benefited.  Throughout  the 
Eastern  States  the  Crispins’  associations  have  done  much 
to  enhance  the  cost  of  manufacture.  In  California  the 
competition  between  Americans  and  the  Chinese  has 
been  open  and  direct.  The  Chinese  in  point  of  fact  have 
carried  the  day  until  of  late,  and  are  still  in  the  ascend- 
ancy numerically.  Cheaper  production  gives  in  the  long 
run  of  course  cheaper  prices,  and  local  manufactures 
invariably  break  down  greatly  the  prices  of  imported 
articles.  California  is,  moreover,  a leather  producing 
State.  In  earlier  days  the  leather  made  was  shipped 
abroad  or  to  the  East,  and  some  portion  of  it  was  returned 
in  manufactured  forms.  The  consumer  had  thus  to  pay, 
in  the  price  of  his  purchases,  the  cost  of  two  or  more  ex- 
pensive shipments  and  of  several  commissions.  It  cannot 
be  for  his  interest  to  do  this,  nor  for  the  interest  of  the 
cattle-raiser  who  produces  hides,  for  that  of  the  tanner 
who  prepares  them,  nor  in  the  broadest  sense  for  the 
interest  of  the  country. 

In  I'egard  to  the  manufacture  of  hats  and  caps,  I have 
no  information  beyond  what  appears  to  be  an  estimate 
of  the  number  of  persons  engaged  in  it,  contained  in  Mr. 
Brooks’  tables.^  Accepting  this  estimate  as  more  or  less 
nearly  correct,  it  would  appear  that  in  1876  about  300 

’ Br.  Br.,  Ap.,  D. 


106 


MANUFACTURE  OF  CIGARS. 


persons  found  occupation  in  the  trade,  of  whom  about 
200  were  Chinese.  In  the  absence  of  more  definite  in- 
formation it  would  be  useless  to  make  any  comments 
upon  it. 

Mr.  Beals  gave  the  following  evidence  before  the  com- 
mission as  to  the  manufacture  of  cigars  in  San  Fran- 
cisco ; — ‘ 

“ Within  a few  years  the  trade  in  cigars  has  entirely 
“changed.  I could  not  tell  the  date,  but  within  the  last 
“eight  years  the  business  has  changed  very  greatly.  Up 
“ to  that  time  most  of  the  cigars  which  were  used  on  this 
“coast  were  either  imported  from  Havana,  or  Manila,  or 
“ Avhat  we  call  American  cigars  coming  from  New  York  ; 
“ but  now  probably  two-thirds  of  all  the  cigars  that  are 
“ consumed  on  this  coast  are  made  in  this  city.  We  not 
“only  use  California  tobacco,  raised  below  here,  but  we 
“ receive  from  the  East  an  immense  quantity  of  Connec- 
“ticut  and  Kentucky  seed  leaf  tobacco,  which  is  sent 
“here  in  hogsheads  and  old  dry  goods  boxes.  It  is 
“ bought  up  to  a very  great  extent  by  the  Chinese,  and 
“made  into  cigars  to  the  extent  of  millions  of  dollars  a 
“year.  I have  no  doubt  that  two-thirds  of  all  the  cigars 
“ consumed  in  this  city  are  made  here.  They  use  some 
“ Havana  tobacco,  but  comparatively  little.  There  is  an 
“establishment  on  Washington  street  where  they  use 
“some  very  high  cost  Russian  or  Turkish  tobacco  ; they 
“will  not  give  information  or  state  the  value  per  pound, 
“yet  they  consume  considerable.  Most  of  the  cigars 
“ made  here  are  from  the  Connecticut  leaf.  We  use  some* 
“ Ohio  and  some  Kentucky  tobacco.”  ‘ 

Mr.  Morganthau  testified  ; — “ 

“ I remember  the  time  when  they  used  to  import  every 
“cigar  from  the  East.  Of  course  Havana  cigars  come 
“ here  to-day,  but  they  used  to  get  our  cigars  from  the 


Rep.  Cli.  Im.,  p.  6i8. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  S05. 


NUMBER  OF  CHINESE  EMPLOYED. 


107 


“ East.  There  was  not  a white  man  here  making  cigars, 
“ and  the  resultwas  that  cigars  were  shipped  from  the  East. 
“Afterward  cigars  were  shipped  from  here  to  the  East, 
“ and  we  have  done  a great  business,  because  of  the  Chi- 
“ namen  making  the  cigars  here,  we  get  them  really  in 
“proportion  cheaper  than  they  do  East.  But  it  seems 
that  the  Eastern  people  would  not  stand  that  and  they 
“have  taken  hold  of  the  business,  and  that  business 
“ has  stopped  here  for  they  cannot  ship  East  because  the 
“ Eastern  people  can  work  equal  with  the  Chinese  here.” 
Mr.  Rogers  testified  as  follows; — 

“ The  number  of  cigars  manufactured  in  the  first  Con- 
“gressional  district  of  California  during  the  last  year, 
“nine-tenths  of  which  have  been  made  in  the  city  and 
“ county  of  San  Francisco  and  by  Chinese  labor,  amounts 
“ to  one  hundred  and  twenty  millions  five  hundred  and 
“ ninety-eight  thousand.  This  includes  about  six  million 
“ cigaritos.  Deduct  six  million  made  by  white  labor, 
“ and  the  balance  one  hundred  and  fourteen  millions 
“ five  hundred  and  ninety-eight  thousands  remain.” 

The  same  witness  estimated  the  number  of  Chinese 
employed  in  the  business  of  cigar-making  at  3,300.  Mr. 
Badlam’s  estimate  was  2,800 ; ^ Mr.  Lessler’s  table  gives 
about  3,200,®  and  Mr.  Brooks’,  which  is  more  in  detail, 
about  the  same  number.'*  Mr.  Frank  Muther,  a cigar- 
makery  testified  that  the  internal  revenue-tax  was  paid  on 
9,300,000  cigars  a month ; and  that  it  would  take  3,000 
Chinamen  constantly  at  work  to  make  them.  He  added 
to  this  computation  an  allowance  of  500  for  Chinese  pack- 
ers and  strippers,  and  of  2,500  for  those  out  of  employ- 
ment, making  a total  of  about  6,000  following  the  trade.® 
The  same  witness  stated  that  there  were  about  100  Amer- 

' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1167.  Br.  Br.  Ap.  D. 

^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  252.  ® Rep.  Ch.  Itn.,  p.  113. 

® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1212. 


108 


ECONOMICAL  CONSIDERATIONS. 


ican  cigar-makers  in  San  Francisco,  of  whom  50  or  60 
were  at  work. 

It  appears  from  these  statements  that  the  Chinese  in 
California,  employed  by  Americans,  or  by  persons  of  their 
own  nationality,  make  nearly  all  of  the  cigars  which  are 
manufactured  there.  It  appears  also  that  the  industry 
was  begun,  practically,  by  Chinese,  or  with  their  assist- 
ance. 

In  this  connection  a statement  made  by  the  witness 
Muther  is  interesting.  His  information  was,  that  nearly 
one-half  the  cigar-makers  of  Havana  were  Chinese;  that 
many  of  them  had  become  dissatisfied  with  their  treat- 
ment and  removed  to  San  Francisco;  and  “ that  is  the 
“reason  we  have  got  so  many  Chinese  cigar-makers  here.” 

The  same  witness  testified  that  the  average  earnings  of 
American  workmen  in  San  Francisco  at  the  moment  were 
about  $ 1 1 a week,  but  that  the  Chinese  would  average 
only  $6  a week. 

It  is  to  be  regretted,  perhaps,  that  there  is  any  con- 
sumption of  cigars  in  our  country,  for  the  habit  costs  our 
people  a great  deal  and  yields  them  few  compensating 
advantages.  But  if  tobacco  is  to  be  consumed  it  is  un- 
doubtedly better  that  the  money  which  is  expended  should 
not  go  out  of  the  country.  In  the  present  instance  the 
evidence  shows  that  more  than  100,000,000  of  cigars 
are  made  in  San  Francisco.  To  say  nothing  of  cigars 
imported  from  abroad  or  from  other  States,  which  may 
cost  as  much  more,  these  100,000,000  would  bring  in  the 
market  an  average  of  $20  a thousand,  perhaps  $30,  or 
say  from  two  to  three  millions  of  dollars.  The  wages  of 
the  men  employed  in  making  them  would  all,  or  very 
nearly  all,  be  expended  on  the  spot.  This  would  amount 
to  say  one  million  dollars  annually,  and  beside  this  con- 
siderable sums  realized  as  profits  by  the  importers  of  the 
raw  material  would  also  remain  and  add  so  much  to  the 


CALIFORNIA  TOBACCO. 


ion 


wealth  of  the  community,  or  rather  diminish  by  so  much 
the  drain  of  money  out  of  the  community. 

To  what  extent  cigars  would  be  manufactured  in  Cal- 
ifornia if  there  were  no  Chinese  engaged  in  the  business, 
and  no  competition  on  their  part  in  the  general  market' 
for  labor,  cannot  be  determined.  The  evidence  is  that 
the  industry  was  begun  with  their  assistance,  and  so  far 
as  we  may  judge  it  would  not  have  taken  any  great  pro- 
portions to  this  day  in  their  absence.  If  one-third  of  all 
the  cigars  consumed  in  the  State  are  imported,  as  it  is, 
perhaps  nine-tenths  would  have  been  if  the  Chinese  fac- 
tor had  not  been  brought  into  play. 

Mr.  Beals,  in  the  testimony  which  I have  quoted, 
alludes  to  Californian  grown  tobacco.  There  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  plant  will  find  a congenial  soil 
and  climate  among  the  numerous  soils  and  climates  with 
which  the  State  is  favored.  The  industry  of  growing 
tobacco,  with  the  complementary  industry  of  manufactur- 
ing it  into  forms  demanded  by  the  tastes  of  those  who 
use  it,  may  very  well  yield  such  results  to  the  State  as 
will  make  her  citizens  of  two  or  three  generations  hence 
look  back  with  surprise  and  astonishment  at  the  hostility 
displayed  in  our  'time  against  the-  Chinese  promoters  of 
the  interests  involved. 

The  fullest  information  in  regard  to  the  participation 
of  the  Chinese  in  San  Francisco  in  the  different  indus- 
tries of  the  needle,  is  contained  in  Mr.  Brooks’  tables.’ 
From  them  I extract  the  following  statement ; — 


Employment. 

Men. 

Girls. 

Chinese. 

Cloak-making 

100 

• . • 

Dress-making,  about 

Embroidering 



1. 000 

28 

Glove-making 

13 

88 

Lace-making 

32 

20 

‘ Br.  Br.,  Ap.  D. 


110  INDUSTRIES 

OF  THE  NEEDLE. 

Men. 

Girls. 

Chinese. 

Milliners,  about 

350 

Neckties 

28 

. . • 

Sail-making 

150 

Shirt-making ' . . . 

30 

246 

239 

Clothing,  mens’ 

558 

884 

620 

Mr.  Brooks  states,  further,  in  notes  appended  to  his 
enumeration  of  the  firms  and  associations  engaged  in 
making  men’s  clothing  and  shirts,  that  a great  many 
“other  persons”  “work  by  the  piece  outside,”  but  he 
does  not  indicate  whether  among  such  persons  Ameri- 
cans or  Chinese  are  more  numerous. 

The  foregoing  table  as  it  stands,  indicates  that  751 
men,  2,728  girls,  and  907  Chinamen  find  employment  in 
the  several  industries  named.  Mr.  Gibson’s  estimate  for 
the  same  year  was,  1,230  Chinese  “sewing  on  machines,” 
and  168  upon  “clothing  for  Chinese.”*  Mr.  Badlam 
stated  in  evidence  before  the  commission  that  according 
to  official  information,  3,250  Chinamen  were  engaged  in 
making  “clothing,  overalls,  undershirts,  etc.”* 

Mr.  Levin  Marshall,  a journeyman  tailor,  testified  before 
the  commission,  that  there  were  in  San  Francisco,  as  he 
believed,  about  100  American  tailors,  and  1,000  Chinese.® 
Mr.  Erric  Westine,  another  witness,  set  down  the 
number  of  American  tailors  at  between  300  and  400,  but 
offered  no  computation  as  to  the  Chinese.'* 

It  seems  probable  then,  that  the  number  of  Chinese  so 
employed  does  not  equal  the  number  of  white  persons, 
men  and  girls ; but  it  may  be  said  with  certainty,  that 
Chinese  competition  in  the  making  of  men’s  clothes 
and  shirts,  has  been  active,  and  must  have  tended  to 
break  down  the  wages  of  the  whites  in  those  special 
directions,  and  to  an  extent  in  all  needle-work. 


* Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  5g 
"Kep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  252. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  352. 
Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  354. 


RELATIVE  WAGES. 


Ill 


Mr.  Marshall  stated  the  result  of  this  competition  as 
follows  ; — 

“ I used  to  get  $9  a dozen  for  boys’  pants,  and  now  I 
“make  them  for  $5.50  ; for  men’s,  I used  to  get  $15,  and 
“ now  I get  $6.50  to  $7.50.”  The  accuracy  of  his  evidence 
becomes  doubtful,  however,  in  view  of  his  further  state- 
ment ; — “ The  whites  make  men’s  pants  for  $9,  when 
“they  used  to  get  $15  for  them.  You  cannot  go  idle 
“ altogether,  and  must  do  something.” 

The  same  witness,  when  asked  the  difference  between 
the  prices  of  clothing  in  California  and  in  the  Eastern 
States,  answered  that  they  were  making  clothes  in  Cali- 
fornia, with  Chinese  labor,  cheaper  than  in  the  East, 
but  acknowledged  that  clothing  was  imported  from  the 
East. 

Mr.  Westine  testified  that  journeymen  tailors  worked 
by  the  piece,  and  that  their  earnings  averaged  $15  to 
$20  a week,  “when  they  have  work.”  In  response  to  a 
question  as  to  the  relative  rates  paid  in  San  Francisco 
and  New  York,  he  said  ; — “The  prices  in  New  York  are 
“ reduced  about  the  same  as  here.” 

It  is  very  evident,  however,  that  the  competition  of 
Chinese  has  not  been  able  to  break  down  the  cost  of 
making  men’s  clothing  to  the  level  of  the  cost  in  the  East. 
It  is  only  a few  years  since  all  such  clothing  was  imported 
into  the  State.  In  1875,  according  to  Mr.  Morgan- 
thau’s  evidence; — ’ “From  eight  to  ten  millions  of  dollars 
“worth  of  clothing  was  imported.  We  send  our  wool 
“ from  here  to  the  East.  Our  factories  use  up  from 
“2,000,000  to  2,500,000  pounds  of  wool  out  of  a gross 
“produce  of  from  50,000,000  to  60,000,000  pounds.  We 
“ pay  the  expense  of  shipping  the  rest  of  that  wool  to 
“the  East  by  railroad.  The  goods  are  made  up  there 
“ and  come  back  here.  We  have  taken  all  the  trouble  to 

' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  803. 


112  ECONOMICAL  CONSIDERATIONS. 

“ make  people  understand  that  we  can  make  as  good  an 
“article  here  as  there  is  anywhere  in  the  world.  The 
“ best  proof  of  that  is  that  we  supply  the  government  of 
“the  United  States  with  our  goods  here.  That  is  the 
“ only  resource  that  we  have  got.  There  are  two  woolen 
I “mills  that  turn  out  not  less  than  $3,000,000,  or  could  do 
- “so  very  easily,  but  the  goods  are  all  imported.  I under- 
“ stand  that  there  were  three  boys’  clothing  manufactories 
“ started  here,  and  they  had  to  abandon  them  ; they 
“ could  not  get  hands  ; it  was  an  utter  impossibility.” 

Certainly,  when  one  considers  the  condition  of  this 
special  branch  of  the  industries  in  question,  the  making 
of  men’s  clothes,  the  matter  for  surprise  is  that  the  com- 
petition of  the  Chinese  should  be  regarded  as  otherwise 
than  beneficial.  If  Californians  were  asked  the  simple 
question; — Has  it  not  been  fortunate  in  a variety  of  ways,, 
that  of  late  years  you  have  been  able  to  order  your  cloth- 
ing made  on  the  spot,  fortunate  for  you  individually  as  se- 
curing, your  convenience  and  your  pecuniary  interest ; for- 
tunate for  the  State  as  working  up  materials  produced 
and  manufactured  in  the  State,  and  as  giving  employ- 
ment to  your  people.^ — there  could  be,  as  I think,  but  one 
answer  returned.  Yet  it  appears  to  be  entirely  over- 
looked that  the  condition  of  the  given  industry,  re- 
garded by  itself,  and  regarded  as  a part  of  the  general 
industries  of  California,  has  been  brought  about  in  a 
great  measure  by  the  Chinese.  The  one  sole  proposi- 
tion which  has  appeared  to  engross  the  attention  of  work- 
ing people  and  of  public  men,  is  the  declaration  that 
the  competition  of  Chinese  keeps  white  men  out  of  the 
avocation.  That  it  has  this  effect  is  not  to  be  denied 
altogether,  but  the  force  of  the  proposition  is  vastly  weak- 
ened when  we  remember  that  the  industry  would  not 
have  existed  in  its  present  large  measure,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  the  patient  working  of  the  Chinese. 


COMPETITION  WITH  WOMEN. 


113 


The  same  general  tenor  of  remark  may  be  followed  in 
speaking  of  the  shirt-making  interest.  It  would  seem 
that  30  men,  246  women,  and  239  Chinese  are  employed  in 
this  industry,  besides  those  who  v/ork  in  their  own  houses. 
We  may  judge  that  many  men,  women  and  Chinese  do 
work  at  home.  Can  there  be  any  doubt  that  the  Chinese 
participate  in  the  industry  only  because  the  pay  of  wo- 
men in  California,  in  all  the  branches  which  they  fill,  is 
high.  The  woman  as  a domestic  servant,  commands 
from  $20  to  $30  a month.  This,  including  board  and 
lodging,  means  that  she  receives  more  than  a dollar  a 
day  for  her  services.  Is  it  astonishing  then  that  some 
few  Chinese,  adepts  as  they  are  with  the  needle,  should 
share  the  business  with  women.?  Is  it  not  almost  won- 
derful that  the  industry  existed  at  all  while  wages  were 
so  high,  and  is  it  not  certain  that  if  women  can  do  more 
than  half  the  work  of  shirt-making  in  San  Francisco, 
now,  they  will  do  it  all  when  wages  fall  to  the  rates  which 
prevail  in  the  Eastern  States  ? 

A certain  adaptability  of  the  Chinese  for  needle-work 
is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  only  professional  em- 
broiderers in  San  Francisco  are  Chinese,  and  that  out  of 
52  persons  engaged  in  making  lace,  29  are  Chinese. 
Nevertheless  the  tables  of  Mr.  Brooks  show  that  the 
cloak-makers,  the  dress-makers,  the  glove-makers,  and 
the  milliners  are  all  women,  and  that  the  number  of 
women  so  employed  is  about  double  that  of  the  number 
of  Chinese  engaged  in  needle-work  of  all  kinds. 

( In  this  connection  I may  quote  the  language  of  a wit- 
ness before  the  Congressional  commission,  Mrs.  Anna  F. 
Smith,  a widow,  and  dependent  upon  her  own  hands  for 
a livelihood  ; — * 

“ Q.  Have  the  Chinese  invaded  the  domain  of  female 

li 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  899. 


114 


CHINESE  LAUNDERERS. 


“ labor  in  this  city  ? A.  I suppose  they  have  in  a gen- 
“ eral  sense. 

“ Q-  What  effect  has  that  had  upon  the  working 
“women.?  A.  It  has  reduced  the  prices  of  their  labor 
“or  the  opportunity  for  them  to  get  labor. 

“ O.  Has  it  thrown  many  of  them  out  of  employ- 
“ ment .?  A.  Not  to  my  certain  knowledge.  ( 

“ Q.  But  to  your  general  knowledge  ? A.  I cannot 
“ say  to  my  general  knowledge,  except  as  I read  in  the 
“ newspapers,  and  hear  persons  speaking  who  are  op- 
“ posed  to  the  Chinese.” 

The  number  of  Chinese  laundry-men  in  San  Francisco, 
in  1876  was  estimated  by  Mr.  Badlam  at  i,200.‘  Mr. 
Rogers  said  ; — ^ “ There  are  about  300  laundries  scat- 
“tered  throughout  the  city,  averaging  five  men  each. 

“ Some  of  these  establishments  employ  double  sets  of 
“hands  and  run  day  and  night.  It  maybe  safely  said 
“that  there  are  1,500  men  employed,  exclusively  Chinese, 

“ in  Chinese  wash  houses  in  this  city,  while  as  many  more 
“arc  employed  at  the  larger  establishments  of  the  same 
“nature,  which  arc  carried  on  by  white  management. 
“Not  less  than  3,000  men  are  employed  in  this  business 
“alone.”  Mr.  Brooks’  tables  indicate  that  there  were 
about  50  laundries  which  employed  500  women  and  300 
Chinese,  and  about  1,400  more  Chinese  were  employed 
in  Chinese-owned  laundries.®  Mr.  Gibson’s  estimate  of 
the  whole  number  of  Chinese  washer-men  was  3,500.'' 

I shall  not  extend  remarks  in  this  connection  further 
than  to  point  out  that,  as  the  washing  of  clothes  is  not  a 
productive  industry,  and  its  cost  is  one  of  the  charges  of 
living,  it  is  an  object  that  it  should  occasion  as  little 
drain  upon  the  pecuniary  resources  of  the  community  as 
possible.  So  far  as  the  Chinese,  all  things  considered. 


' Itc-p.  Cb.  Im.,  p.  251. 
'*  Hep.  Ch.  ]ni.,p.  II 68. 


^ 15r.  Rr.,  p.  107. 

^ Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  59. 


ADVANTAGES  TO  WORKING  CLASSES.  115 

work  more  cheaply  than  others,  the  saving  to  the  com- 
munity is  direct  and  positive. 

It  would  seem  further  that  a large  measure  of  the  ad- 
vantage derived  in  this  way  has  inured  to  the  classes 
who  have  most  occasion  to  live  economically.  Mr.  Wil- 
liam F.  Babcock  testified  before  the  commission  that  the 
Chinese  “do  the  washing  for  all  the  mechanics;”^  and 
again  ; — “ I think  this  very  employment  of  the  Chinese 
“in  laundry-work  causes  mechanics  to  change  their 
“clothing  much  oftener  than  they  did  when  they  paid  a 
“high  price  for  their  washing.  Take  the  tops  of  these 
“houses  where  the  Chinese  laundries  are,  and  look  at 
“ the  lines  of  ragged  clothes,  old  red  shirts,  pantaloons, 
“and  every  ordinary,  common  thing,  garments  that  I do 
“ not  believe  were  washed  half  as  much  before,  and  that 
“were  not  even  fit  for  a woman  to  wash. 

“ Q.  Were  there  any  women  engaged  in  the  business 
“here  before  the  Chinese.^  A.  That  I do  not  know 
“ anything  about.  Domestics  do  that  work  now,  but  to 
“what  extent  I do  not  know.  I have  a laundry-woman 
“ in  my  house. 

“Q.  You  do  not  understand  me.  I want  to  know 
“ whether  there  were  an^^  women  engaged  in  the  business 
“of  keeping  wash-houses  on  the  streets  and  seeking 
“ clothes  to  wash,  the  work  that  the  Chinese  are  doing 
“now.^  A.  Not  of  any  consequence.  There  were  some 
“few  French  laundries. 

“ O.  Is  not  the  great  part  of  the  support  of  these 
“ Chinese  wash-houses  from  the  poorer  classes  of  people, 
“ who  are  thus  relieved  from  doing  their  own  washing  ? 
“A.  I think  so. 

“ Q.  Is  not  the  washing  of  the  more  wealthy  classes 
“generally  done  in  their  houses,  by  white  servants  ? A.  I 
“ think  so.” 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  713,  817. 


116 


CHINESE  TINSMITHS. 


Evidence  to  the  same  effect  was  given  also  by  Judge 
Campbell.* 

The  number  of  Chinese  employed  in  glass-works,  glue- 
works,  and  in  tanneries,  in  San  Francisco,  is  so  small  as 
to  suggest  the  idea  that  their  duties  are  those  of  super- 
Jnumerary  laborers  rather  than  skilled  artisans.  In 
powder-mills  a greater  number  are  engaged.  Mr.  Brooks 
shows  that  two  companies  employ,  together,  28  whites 
and  80  Chinese.  Mr.  Lessler  states,  in  this  connection, 
that  the  secretary  of  one  of  these  associations  informed 
him  that  they  employed  the  Chinese  for  minor  purposes, 
“ in  coopering,  and  in  filling  cartridges,  as  the  fumes  are 
“very  dangerous  to  the  health,  killing  any  ordinary  white 
“ man  within  two  years.” 

The  number  of  tinsmiths  in  San  Francisco  was  esti- 
mated, by  Mr.  Brooks,  at  300  whites  and  70  Chinese. 
I find  no  comment  upon  their  participation  in  this  in- 
dustry in  the  evidence  taken  before  the  Congressional 
committee.  It  would  seem  likely  that  their  work  is  done 
for  their  own  people,  from  whom  the  demand  for  tin 
vessels  to  be  used  in  the  mines,  for  household  purposes, 
&c.,  would  be  considerable. 


Rep.  Ch.  Ira.,  p.  735. 


PART  II.— CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  MATERIAL  RESULTS  OF  CHINESE  LABOR  IN 
CALIFORNIA.  DOxMESTIC  SERVANTS. 

The  Chinese  are  good  servants.  Testimony  of  Mrs.  Swift,  Judge  Ileyi 
denfeldt,  Mrs.  Avery,  Mrs.  Smith,  Judge  Lake.  Personal  testimony 
of  author.  Difficulty  of  procuring  servants  in  California.  Testimony 
of  Judge  Hastings.  His  views  challenged.  The  scarcity  of  servants 
due  to  lack  of  supply  and  not  to  their  unsatisfactory  treatment  by  em- 
ployers. Wrong  ideas  about  the  Chinese  taught  by  .some  persons  of 
intelligence  and  high  position.  . Judge  Hastings’  ethnological  disqui- 
sition. His  views  about  the  six  companies.  Mr.  McLennan’s  testi- 
mony. High  praise  of  Chinese  as  servants.  White  girls  will  not  go 
into  the  country.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Brier,  Col.  Hollister,  and  Mr. 
Morganthau.  Nosurplus  of  working  women  in  California.  Number 
of  Chinese  servants  in  city  and  State.  Housekeepers  would  deplore 
the  removal  of  the  Chinese. 

Whether  the  Chinese  make  good  servants  is  a 
question  which  has  been  variously  answered  in  Cali- 
fornia. My  own  observations  and  experience  in  China 
and  in  California  would  lead  me  to  respond  without  hes- 
itation in  an  affirmative  sense.  As  I desire,  however,  to 
speak  upon  this  part  of  my  subject,  as  upon  all  others,  with 
all  the  authority  possible,  I shall  place  the  tenor  of  the 
evidence  taken  by  the  Congressional  committee,  and 
other  evidence,  briefly  before  my  readers  and  leave  them 
to  decide  whether  my  opinion  is  well  grounded. 

In  the  index  of  the  Congressional  report  will  be  found, 
at  page  1277,  the  entry,  “Chinese  as  domestic  servants.” 
The  substance  of  the  testimony  referred  to  under  this 
head,  both  that  for  and  against  Chinese  servants,  is  given 
in  the  following  extracts. 

The  first  witness  indicated  was  Mrs.  Sophronia  Swift, 


118 


CHINESE  SEE  VA  NTS. 


who  was  called,  as  I judge,  by  the  counsel  against  tV  , 
Chinese.  She  testified  as  follows  ,•» — * 

“ O.  Do  our  people  generally  employ  Chinese  as 
“ domestic  servants A.  Among  my  acquaintances 
“ almost  all  have  Chinese  servants. 

“ Q.  Is  your  acquaintance  pretty  extensive  ? A.  I 
“have  a large  circle  of  acquaintances,  and  I have  had  a 
“pretty  good  opportunity  to  learn  where  there  were 
“ Chinese  servants.  I have  been  for  two  years  a solicitor 
“ for  insurance.  I have  gone  to  a great  many  private 
“ families,  and  almost  always  the  answer  to  the  bell  was 
“ by  a Chinese  servant. 

“ 0.  What  is  the  price  of  wages  here  of  a white  do- 
“ mestic  servant-girl  ? A.  I have  never  asked  for  a sit- 
“ nation  myself,  but  I have  given  them  from  $15  to  $25. 

“ Q.  A good  cook,  how  much  ? A.  They  would 
“ range  from  $30  in  a private  family,  to  $40  where  they 
“ have  considerable  work. 

“ Q.  What  does  the  Chinaman  work  for  as  a domestic 
“servant.?  A.  They  work  from  $i  up  to  $50  and 
“$6o.  In  many  families  they  are  considered  finer  cooks, 

“ Q.  They  are  paid,  then,  in  accordance  with  their 
“ capacity  as  servants  .?  A.  They  are  considered  by 
“ some  people,  better  cooks  because  they  attend  to  just 
“ one  branch.  The  Chinese  when  they  work,  work  at  one 
“industry.  They  are  not  like  our  working  girls.  If  a 
“ Chinaman  goes  into  a family  to  cook,  he  says,  ‘ Me  no 
“ ‘ do  chamber  work,  me  do  cooking.’  If  a woman  goes 
“ into  a house  she  has  got  to  do  sewing,  all  the  house- 
“ work,  take  care  of  the  little  boys  and  girls,  and  do  the 
“washing  and  ironing.  Chinamen  do  one  branch. 
“ They  do  the  cleaning,  or  else  they  do  the  housework. 
“ I am  speaking  of  families  who  keep  more  than  one 
“ Chinaman  in  the  house. 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  244. 


MRS.  SWIFT'S  TESTIMONY. 


119 


“Q.  They  are  used  as  servants,  from  the  cellar  to  the 
“garret,  as  cooks  and  chambermaids  and  nurses  ? A.  I 
“suppose  they  are. 

“ Q.  Do  they  not  make  pretty  good  house  servants  ? 
“ A.  They  do  not.  ' 

“ Q.  Are  they  not  faithful  ? A.  They  are  not. 

“O.  Do  they  retain  their  places  long  A.  Notgen- 
“erally,  some  of  them.  Where  they  have  plenty  of 
“chances  to  steal,  and  get  high  wages,  and  get  the 
“ confidence  of  people,  they  are  like  a great  many  other 
“ people,  they  want  to  keep  their  places. 

“ Q.  Have  you  employed  Chinese  ? A.  I have. 

“ Q.  Do  you  speak  from  experience  ? A.  I speak 
“from  experience  in  my  own  house,  and  in  my  neigh- 
“bors’  houses,  and  from  the  reports  in  the  newspapers, 
“and  my  associations  with  business  men.  I have  been 
“ eight  years  a business  woman,  and  I have  heard  men 
“whom  I can  believe  tell  their -experience  of  Chinese 
“ servants  and  of  white  women.” 

The  next  evidence  referred  to  in  the  index  is  that  of 
Judge  Heydenfeldt.  His  testimony  was  as  follows  ; — * 

“ Q.  Is  not  their  character,  as  domestic  servants,  gen- 
“ erally  praised  by  every  one  of  your  acqaintances  ? 
“A.  Yes;  I have  heard  nothing  to  their  disadvantage 
“ upon  that  score,  rtor,  indeed,  upon  any  other  in  regard 
“to  their  labor.  As  far  as  concerns  their  industry,  and 
“their  frugality, and  general  intelligence,  and  their  clean- 
“liness,  I think  those  who  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
“employing  them,  and  know  something  about  them, 
“place  them  above  the  corresponding  class  of  other 
“ people.” 

The  next  evidence  is  that  of  Judge  Campbell ; — * 

“ Q.  Do  you  treat  them  as  house  servants  any  differ- 
“ ent  from  any  others  ? A.  Precisely  the  same. 


‘ Rep.  Ch.  Itn.,  p.  505. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  733. 


120 


JUDGE  CAMPBELL'S  TESTLMONY. 


“ 0.  How  is  it  in  regard  to  the  trust  and  confidence 
“ that  you  repose  in  them  ? A.  I have  always  reposed 
“the  same  confidence  in  them  that  I have  in  any  others. 
“ I have  one  white  man,  a white  woman,  and  a Chinese 
“ boy  generally.  That  has  been  my  average  for  the  last 
“ nine  years.  I treat  them  all  alike. 
i “ Q.  Comparing  servants  with  servants,  how  do  they 
“ compare  ? A.  I prefer  the  Chinese  to  any  others. 

“ Q.  In  what  respect  are  they  preferable  ? A.  They 
“ are  more  quiet,  they  are  more  systematic,  they  are  very 
“ cleanly,  and  very  intelligent ; and  when  there  was  a 
“press  of  matter,  such  as  another  servant  leaving,  or 
“ sickness  in  the  house,  or  anything  of  that  kind,  when 
“ extra  work  was  required  to  be  done,  I have  found  them 
“ very  ready  to  take  their  share  of  that  extra  work. 

“ Q.  What  has  been  your  experience  with  them  in 
“ respect  to  their  honesty  ? A.  So  far  as  my  personal 
“ observation  goes,  I have  never  had  occasion  to  distrust 
“any  of  those  who  have  been  in  my  employ.  They  have 
“had  free  access  to  pretty  much  everything. 

“ Q.  What  is  your  experience  in  regard  to  their  faith- 
“ fulness  to  work  when  you  are  absent,  or  when  they  are 
“ not  watched,  and  as  to  the  necessity  of  watching  them  ? 
“A.  I have  already  given  you  the  extent  of  my  experi- 
“ ence,  but  from  that  little  experience  I should  judge  that 
“they  were  very  faithful.” 

The  next  evidence  is  that  of  Mr.  Francis  Avery,  who 
had  been  a resident  of  California  for  several  years,  and 
had  been  brought  into  contact  with  the  Chinese  in  vari- 
ous ways.  Flis  testimony  regarding  their  character  as 
servants  was  as  follows  ; — * 

“ Q.  Have  you  employed  them  in  your  family  ? 
“A.  Yes,  sir. 

“0.  How  have  you  found  them  as  house  servants  ? 
“A.  All  that  could  be  desired. 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  844. 


MR.  AVERY'S  TESTIMONY. 


121 


“O.  Trustworthy  and  competent  ? A.  Entirely  trust- 
“ worthy  and  competent. 

“ Q.  And  honest  ? A.  And  honest.  I had  one 
“servant  temporarily  in  my  employ  when  I had  some 
“friends  visiting  me,  who  was  a little  dishonest,  but  he 
“was  the  only  exception. 

“ Q.  Have  you  trusted  them,  in  the  absence  of  your 
“ family,  with  the  care  of  your  house  and  valuables  ? A. 
“Yes,  sir;  I have  left  everything  in  the  house  in  their 
“ charge,  open. 

“ Q.  Are  they  cleanly  in  their  persons  ? A.  Re- 
“ markably  so. 

“ Q.  Do  they  ever  talk  impudently  to  your  family  ? 
“ A.  I never  knew  but  one  to  do  that,  and  he  was  a 
“ cook.  My  experience  with  cooks  is  that  if  they  are 
“ good  they  are  usually  impudent. 

“ Q.  Do  they  claim  privileges  at  night  and  by  day 
“ through  the  week  ? A.  Not  greater  than  those 
“ claimed  by  other  servants. 

“ Q.  You  live  in  the  city  ? A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  How  extensively  are  Chinese  employed  in  the 
“ capacity  of  domestic  servants  in  the  city  ? A.  That  I 
“cannot  answer,  only  to  say  to  a very  large  extent. 

“ Q.  Why  are  they  employed  ? A.  Because  they 
“ make  better  servants. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  it  is  on  account  of  their  quality  as 
“servants  that  they  are  given  employment.?  A.  Yes, 
“ sir ; I am  sure  of  that  because,  as  far  as  I am  able  to 
“ find  out,  the  wages  paid  to  them  are  the  same  as  the 
“wages  paid  by  persons  employing  white  servants. 

‘‘  0.  Is  there  difficulty  in  getting  white  female  ser- 
“ vants  in  this  city  ? A.  There  is  difficulty,  I under- 
“ stand,  in  getting  good  ones  ; but  there  is  that  same  dif- 
“ ficulty  in  the  East.  There  is  an  abundance  of  white 
“ servants  and  plenty  of  them  get  employment, 


122 


WHITE  SERVANTS  SCARCE. 


“ Q.  I understand  that  the  Chinese  are  employed  be- 
“ cause  of  their  character  as  servants?  A.  Yes,  sir; 
“ in  fact,  in  many  cases,  I may  say,  I have  heard  of  people 
“ who  employed  them  for  no  other  reason,  people  who  did 
“not  like  the  Chinese,  and  were  prejudiced  against  them. 

“ Q.  What  is  your  impression  as  to  the  trust  reposed 
“ in  them  by  people  ? Do  they  leave  their  houses  with 
“ the  Chinese  in  charge  during  their  absences,  with  as 
“much  freedom  as  they  leave  their  homes  with  other 
“ servants  in  charge  ? A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  Is  there  or  is  there  not  as  much  trust  reposed 
“ in  their  integrity  as  in  white  servants  ? A.  I think 
“there  is. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  that  they  are  as  free  from  the 
“ charge  of  petty  stealing  as  white  servants?  A.  Yes, 
“sir;  my  experience  in  that  respect  shows  them  to  be 
“fully  as  trustworthy  as  the  generality  of  white  serv- 
“ ants.” 

Mrs.  Anna  F.  Smith  testified  ; — * 

“Q.  Have  you  had  any  experience  with  Chinese 
“ servants  in  this  city  or  coast  ? A.  I have  not  had  any 
“ special  experience  with  them  ; that  is,  I have  not  em- 
“ ployed  Chinamen  since  I have  been  in  California. 

“ Q-  When  did  you  employ  them  ? A.  I lived  in 
“ Colorado  two  years,  in  business  for  myself,  and  then  I 
“ employed  a number  of  Chinamen  at  different  times. 

“ Q.  How  did  you  find  them  as  servants  in  Colorado? 
“ A.  I found  them  honest,  truthful,  fair  and  straightfor- 
“ ward  in  their  dealings  with  me  on  all  occasions. 

“ O.  Have  you  had  any  experience  here,  where  you 
“have  lived  or  come  in  contact  with  them,  as  servants? 
“ A.  I have  seen  them  in  the  houses  of  my  friends  as 
“ servants  and  I have  seen  them  in  houses  where  I have 
“ been  working  and  living. 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  S97. 


THEIR  CHARACTER  AS  SERVANTS.  123 

“ Q.  Is  there  any  complaint  in  reference  to  them  as 
“ servants,  or  what  is  their  reputation  as  domestic  serv- 
“ants?  A.  Their  reputation  varies.  Chinamen  as 
“ servants  vary  as  much  as  whites,  that  is  relatively  to 
“ each  other.  Chinamen  are  good  servants  and  there  are 
“ poor  servants  among  Chinamen  ; but  I think  my  expe- 
“ rience  is  that  they  compare  favorably  with  whites.  As 
“ far  as  regards  some  white  persons  whom  I have  hired  I 
“should  prefer  them.  I always  prefer  them,  and  I have 
“hired  both. 

“ Q.  Are  there  many  Chinese  servants  in  Colorado  ? 
“A.  No,  sir;  not  any  great  numbers. 

“ Q-  What  employments  are  they  in,  there,  generally.? 
“A.  A few  are  employed  as  house  servants,  but  the 
“ greater  number  are  carrying  on  laundries  for  themselves. 

“ Q.  What  do  they  pay  them,  there,  as  house  serv- 
“ ants .?  A.  Their  prices  there  are  the  same  as  the  whites 
“so  far  as  I know.  I paid  them  the  same  wages  that  I 
“paid  to  white  persons.” 

The  next  and  the  last  witness  cited  in  the  index  as 
speaking  in  regard  to  this  subject  was  Judge  Delos  Lake, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  lawyers  of  San  Francisco. 
His  evidence  was  as  follows; — 

“ Q.  Are  there  many  Chinese  servants  in  this  city.? 
“A.  Yes,  I think  so,  but  not  so  many  as  there  werefor- 
“ merly.  I have  had  them  in  my  house.  I do  not  re- 
“ member  exactly  what  the  vote  of  my  household  on  the 
“ subject  is,  but  I rather  think  against  them,  because 

“ O.  You  left  an  answer  incomplete.  A.  I think 
“ they  were  mostly  young  boys,  seventeen,  eighteen,  nine- 
“ teen  or  twenty  years  old ; and  were  used  as  a kind  of 
“ assistant  to  the  cook,  &c.  I think  their  labor  was  aban- 
“ doned  because  their  words  were  not  very  good.  They 
“ make  an  engagement  and  leave  very  unceremoniously. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1013. 


124 


TENOR  OF  THE  TESTIMONY. 


“ It  was  for  that  reason,  more  than  for  anything  else,  I 
“ think,  that  their  labor  was  finally  abandoned.  So  far  as 
“ my  observation  goes  they  are  not  a truthful  people. 
“You  cannot  rely  upon  their  word  at  all.” 

The  evidence  thus  adduced  is  decidedly  favorable,  in 
the  main,  to  the  Chinese  as  servants.  It  is  by  no  means 
all  that  is  contained  in  the  testimony  given  before  the 
Congressional  commission,  but  I believe  that  it  repre- 
sents fairly  the  tenor  of  the  whole.  As  I said  in  open- 
ing this  chapter  the  selection  of  evidence  is  that  of  the 
person  who  compiled  the  index^  of  the  book  which  con- 
tains the  report  of  the  committee  and  the  testimony  given 
before  it.  I have  accurately  reproduced  what  the  given 
witnesses  said,  and  it  seems  unnecessary  to  go  further. 
As  a matter  of  course  all  servants  are  not  good  servants, 
and  as  a matter  of  course  the  best  of  them  could  not 
please  some  employers.  I do  not  believe  that  Asiatic 
servants  are  likely  to  be  as  good  as  those  of  European  or 
American  origin,  for  the  reason  that  their  education  is 
not  such  as  to  enable  them  to  appreciate  perfectly  the 
wants,  wishes,  or  peculiarities  of  their  employers.  I should 
be  sorry  to  think  that  the  moral  education  of  Europeans 
or  Americans  is  no  better  than  that  of  Asiatics,  or  that 
Europeans  and  Americans  do  not  exhibit  the  results  of 
better  training  in  whatever  spheres  of  life  they  may  be 
placed.  That  the  Chinese  do  very  well  as  servants,  nev- 
ertheless is  not  to  be  doubted.  I can  speak  personally 
of  the  devoted  attention  of  a Chinese  boy  when  I was 
suffering  from  a long  and  tedious  sickness  which  brought 
me,  while  away  from  home  and  away  from  all  persons  of 
my  family,  to  the  verge  of  the  grave.  More  anxious  and 
unremitting  service  no  person  could  have  rendered. 
During  the  years  which  have  passed  since,  the  same  serv- 
ant has  been  my  constant  attendant  and  trusted  with 
everything  which  is  ever  trusted  to  one  in  his  position. 


CHINESE  FITNESS  FOR  DOMESTIC  SERVICE.  125 


My  own  experience  is  not  different  as  I believe  from  that 
of  many  other  persons  who  have  lived  long  in  China. 

And  indeed  how  could  it  be  otherwise.  Are  not  these 
people  endowed  in  all  respects  with  the  same  faculties 
and  affections  as  ourselves .?  Do  they  not  exhibit  among 
themselves  all  the  domestic  virtues.?  Are  they  not  fru- 
gal, industrious,  orderly  and  painstaking.?  Why  then, 
when  carefully  taught,  as  they  must  be  if  they  are  to  un- 
derstand our  wants  and  how  to  satisfy  them;  when  well 
paid  and  considerately  treated,  should  they  not  become 
useful  servants.?  It  appears  to  me,  in  point  of  fact,  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  find  any  race  or  class  of  people 
on  the  whole  face  of  the  earth,  not  of  our  own  stock,  so 
eminently  well  qualified  by  temperament  and  habits  of 
life  to  take  the  place  of  servants  in  American  homes. 

The  great  boon  which  the  Chinese  have  been  to  house- 
keepers in  California,  can  only  be  appreciated  when  a 
further  statement  is  made  of  the  difficulties  which  have 
been  met  there  in  procuring  servants  other  than  Chinese, 
k is  to  be  remembered  that  the  State  is  not  only  young, 
but  that  it  is  distant  from  the  sources  of  supply.  Of  the 
thousands  of  immigrants  from  Europe  who  land  upon 
our  shores  in  each  year,  but  few  in  any  department  of 
life  reach  that  most  distant  part  of  our  territory,  and 
fewer  in  proportion  of  this  class  than  of  any  other.  They 
are  women  as  a rule  and  they  cannot  well  undertake  the 
long  journey  by  sea  or  by  land.  The  class  is  not  one 
which  is  so  well-to-do  that  its  members  may  choose  such  a 
destination.  It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  it  has  been 
more  difficult  to  procure  white  servants  in  California  than 
in  the  newly  settled  regions  of  the  northwest,  to  which 
access  is  more  easy,  although  the  wages  paid  there  have 
been  much  lower. 

In  order  to  elucidate  this  point  more  perfectly,  I quote 
again  from  the  testimony  given  before  the  Congressional 


126 


SCARCITY  OF  WOMEN, 


committee.  In  doing  so  I shall  take  the  evidence  which 
is  classed  in  the  index  under  the  following  heads : 
“ Scarcity  of  Servant-girls “ Experience  with  Servant- 
girls,”  and  “White  Girls  as  Servants,”  and  quote  it  in 
full,  or  sufficiently  so  to  correctly  indicate  its  tenor. 

The  first  testimony  indexed  is  that  of  Judge  Hastings, 
a well  known  citizen  of  San  Francisco,  and  an  old  Cali- 
fornian.* It  is  as  follows; — 

“ Q.  It  has  been  stated  here  that  it  is  impossible  to 
“get  white  labor  for  house  purposes  in  this  country,  and 
“that  those  places  have  been  filled  by  Chinamen.  Have 
“you  kept  house.?  A.  I have  kept  several  houses  in 
“ the  last  twenty-five  years.  I have  now  three  or  four 
“ ranch  houses. 

“Q.  Can  you  get  white  household  servants  .?  A.  No, 
“ sir.  The  reason  has  been  stated  by  the  reverend  gentle- 
“man  (Mr.  Brier),  who  testified  a while  ago,  and  the 
“reason  is  a very  good  one.  Catholic  servants  do  not 
“ desire  to  go  to  the  country.  The'  reverend  gentleman 
“spoke  of  Catholics  alone,  but  then  there  are  a great 
“ many  other  girls  in  this  country,  thousands  and  thous- 
“ ands  of  them,  who  would  go  to  the  country,  and  would 
“ become  servant  girls  if  it  was  made  as  honorable  as  in 
“ other  countries.  I know  that  servant  girls  in  the  N orthern 
“ States  are  treated  comparatively  with  a great  deal  of 
“ respect ; they  are  treated  as  members  of  the  family,  and 
“treated  kindly.  Girls  in  Iowa  will  stay  and  work  for 
“ eight  and  twelve  dollars  a month  in  preference  to  com- 
“ ing  to  California  to  be  treated  as  Chinamen.  They  will 
“ not  stand  these  things  here.  These  are  American  girls 
“ I speak  of.  I do  not  know  if  that  is  the  reason  Avhy  all 
“ our  girls  do  not  take  to  employment,  for  instance  in 
“washing  or  in  cooking;  but  I think  it  is.  I think  if  we 
“had  no  Chinamen,  and  if  we  would  make  washing  and 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  595. 


JUDGE  HASTINGS'  TESTIMONY. 


127 


“cooking  the  honorable  business  that  it  ought  to  be 
“ made,  as  honorable  as  any  other  business  in  the  world, 
“our  girls  would  take  to  that  kind  of  employment  in 
“ preference  to  wandering  over  our  streets  and  falling  into 
“vicious  life.” 

It  occurs  to  me  in  reading  this  extract  that  the  witness 
has  allowed  his  theory  to  carry  him  too  far.  There  is  no 
reason,  as  I think,  to  believe  that  all  the  families  in  the 
country  towns  of  California,  in  the  mining  districts  and 
on  farms  would  fail  to  treat  their  much  needed  servants 
with  reasonable  consideration.  I feel  sure  that  many  do 
treat  their  Chinese  servants  quite  as  well  as  persons  in 
that  grade  of  life  generally  are  treated.  If  the  latter  are 
indeed  dealt  with  as  an  inferior  race  by  many  persons  in 
California,  the  fault  is  one  for  which  men  of  the  class  of 
Judge  Hastings  are  in  a large  degree  responsible,  for  they 
have  encouraged  the  disposition  to  deride  and  denounce 
the  Chinaman,  and  have  taught  unthinking  people,  and 
the  rising  generation  to  look  down  upon  them  as  a 
degraded  and  degrading  element  of  the  population.  The 
difficulty  of  procuring  servants  to  go  into  the  country 
is  one,  I take  it,  which  exists  everywhere  in  our  land, 
but  certainly  in  a greater  degree  in  more  remote  districts, 
and  in  a greater  degree  in  California  than  anywhere  east 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  for  the  reason  that  servant-girls 
are  fewer,  and  also  because  they  are,  as  I think,  rather 
more  exacting  in  California  than  elsewhere,  sharing  in  this 
respect  the  habit  of  all  persons  of  the  white  laboring 
class  in  the  State. 

In  saying  that  men  of  Judge  Hastings’  class  have 
taught  wrong  ideas  about  the  Chinese,  I do  not  speak 
unadvisedly.  I shall  not  stop  here  to  discuss  this  prop- 
osition at  large,  but  I think  it  well  to  quote  some 
portion  of  the  language  which  this  gentleman  used  before 
the  committee,  in  proof  at  least  of  his  attitude ; — ‘ 

' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  586. 


128 


AN  ETHNOLOGICAL  DISQUISITION 


“ My  opinion  is,  and  I speak  from  the  highest  authority, 
“ that  the  Chinese  are  almost  another  species  of  the  genus 
“homo.  I do  not  think  that  they  are  another  species, 
“ but  they  are  a very  wide  variety.  They  vary  from  the 
“ Aryan,  or  European  race  ; their  divergence  is  very  wide. 
“ I think  they  vary  so  much  that  the  offspring  of  the 
“ Chinaman,  united  with  the  American  race  would  be 
“unfertile,  or' would  be  imperfectly  fertile.  I speak  from 
“ the  highest  authority.  It  has  been  established  in 
“ modern  times.  The  formula  among  all  modern  phil- 
“ osophers  is,  that  where  in  organic  life  what  is  called  a 
“ morphological  species  of  the  same  class  unites  with  a 
“ morphological  species  of  the  same  class,  which  species 
“ vary  very  greatly,  the  offspring  is,  as  laid  down,  unfer- 
“tile,  and  if  not  unfertile,  is  very  imperfectly  fertile. 
“That  is  the  formula.  That  is  agreed  now  to  be  the 
“truth  by  all  ethnological  philosophers  of  the  present 
“age.  I do  not  say  that  the  Chinaman  is  of  another 
“species,  but  he  is  a variety  that,  for  a good  many 
“reasons,  diverges  from  the  American  citizen  so  widely 
“ that  the  offspring  of  these  two  varieties,  as  I have  said 
“ before,  would  be,  I have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  imper- 
“ fectly  fertile  if  not  mules.” 

Having  thus  declared  that  essential  differences  existed 
between  members  of  the  human  family,  created  by  one 
God,  and  nourished  originally  in  adjacent  districts  of  the 
Asiatic  continent,  the  learned  judge  proceeds  to  lay 
down  a further  proposition  which  the  progress  of  our 
inquiry  will  enable  us  to  pronounce  equally  unfounded. 
I refer  to  his  declaration  that  the  Chinese  in  the  United 
States  are  peons.  His  language  is  as  follows ; — “ Chinese 
“ labor  is  a servile  caste.  The  Chinaman  is  in  a state  of 
“ peonage.  They  are  in  a state  of  peonage ; they  are 
“ not  freemen.” 

When  pressed  to  define  what  he  meant  by  peonage. 


JUDGE  HASTINGS  ON  CHINESE  PEONAGE.  129 

the  witness  said  further  ; — “ They  have  to  pay,  first,  the 
“ commissions  due  to  the  persons  who  engage  them,  and 
“then  to  the  companies  who  take  care  of  them.  He 
“belongs  to  the  great  companies  until  he  does  that. 
“They  order  him  to  go  here  and  there;  thay  see  he  is 
“ not  starved  ; they  see  that  he  is  fed,  and  that  he  is 
“ employed.  It  is  a very  elegant  organization  ; it  is 
“ really  beautiful,  and  hence  it  is  you  never  hear  of  these 
“people  being  beggars.” 

Mr.  Donald  McLellan  testified  ; — ‘ 

I will  say  that  since  the  agitation  of  this  Chinese 
“question  here  within  the  last  six  months,  it  has  been  a 
“ very  difficult  matter  for  any  one  to  hire  white  help, 
“more  so  than  ever  before.  What  the  actual  cause  or 
“ reason  of  it  is,  I do  not  know ; but  my  own  impression 
“ is  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  Chinese  boys,  as  they  are 
“ called,  the  Chinese  servants  we  have  in  our  houses,  in- 
“ stead  of  paying  an  Irish  woman,  a good  cook,  etc.,  $25 
“ and  $30,  we  would  have  to  pay  what  I did  when  we 
“ first  came  here,  from  $40  to  $50  a month.  I speak 
“ now  of  my  own  knowledge.  A good  Chinese  servant 
“ can  do  twice  the  work  of  any  white  servant  woman  you 
“can  have  here.  He  will  do  house  work  better  and  do  a 
“ great  deal  more  of  it.  So  far  as  my  observations  go, 
“ Chinese  servants  here  are  not  high  servants.  They  do 
“ not  work  by  the  hour,  eight  hours  a day,  but  they  work 
“at  all  times  and  are  willing.  That  is  my  experience, 
“ I have  a Chinaman  in  mind  now,  who  was  employed 
“ two  years  in  my  daughter’s  family,  and  he  did  the  work 
“ of  two  servants. 

“Q.  Do  you  know  whether  any  American  born  girls 
“ are  acting  in  the  capacity  of  house  servants  ? A.  I 
“ do  not  think  that  an  American  born  girl  would  work 
“ out  in  California  for  any  wages. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  621. 


I 


130 


WHITE  SERVANTS  SCARCE. 


“ Q.  Do  you  see  a good  many  Chinese  boys  doing  all 
“ the  work  of  a family  ? A.  Yes,  sir.  I hear  our  friend 
“ Pixley  employs  them. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  good  white  girls,  who  will  do  the 
“ whole  work  of  a family  are  to  be  found  A.  No,  it 
“ is  impossible  to  get  them.  American  born  girls,  be 
“they  of  Irish  parentage  or  otherwise,  as  a general  thing 
“will  not  go  out  to  service.  Two  weeks  ago  I was  in 
“ Crosett’s  establishment  on  Clay  street,  waiting  to  em- 
“ ploy  a servant,  and  while  sitting  there  two  persons  came 
“in  and  wished  servant  girls  to  go  into  the  country. 
“ Crosett  replied  ; — ‘ There  is  no  use  to  say  anything  to 
“ ‘ any  of  them’ — there  were  thirty  or  forty  in  the  room — 
“ ‘ you  cannot  hire  a white  girl  to  go  into  the  country.’ 

“ Q-  What  do  you  mean  by  the  country  ? A.  I 
“ mean  the  interior. 

“ Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  there  are  not  a great  many 
“ good  girls  in  the  interior  ? A.  I only  tell  you  the 
“ reply  Crosett  made  to  those  two  gentlemen.  He  said  ; 
“ — ‘ It  is  no  use  ; you  cannot  hire  a servant  girl  to  go 
“ ‘ into  the  country  and  work.’ 

“ Q.  Have  you  traveled  about  the  State  ? A.  I have. 

“ Q.  Did  you  ever  see  a white  servant  girl  in  any  iso- 
“ lated  farm-house  away  from  town  ? A.  I never  have. 

“ Q.  By  the  interior  you  mean  away  from  villages 
“ where  there  are  churches.^  A.  This  party  wanted  ser- 
“ vants  to  go  to  Chico,  which  is  quite  a large  town ; but  they 
“ would  not  go  there.  Of  course  they  will  go  to  Sacra- 
“ mento  and  Stockton,  and  some  of  the  interior  cities, 
“ but  outside  of  any  large  place  you  cannot  induce  them 
“ to  go  ; their  faces  are  set  against  it.  That  is  an  admit- 
“ ted  fact,  I believe. 

“ Q.  It  there  were  not  Chinese  in  California  is  it  not 
“ fair  to  suppose  that  we  would  be  able  to  get  white  ser- 
“ vants  here  A.  It  costs  a good  deal  of  money  for 


WILL  NOT  GO  INTO  THE  COUNTRY.  131 

“ that  class  of  people  to  come  here,  and  unless  money  is 
“ sent  to  them,  or  loaned  to  them,  they  will  not  come. 
“ It  is  a great  distance  from  their  homes.  Undoubtedly 
“ there  are  a great  many  Germans,  Irish  and  other  nation- 
“ alities  who  come  to  New  York.  Every  ship  that  comes 
“ brings  them,  and  they  bring  them  across  the  Atlantic 
“for  $io.  To  come  to  California  costs  $ioo. 

“ Q.  Do  you  not  think  one  of  the  causes  why  Amer- 
“ ican  and  white  girls  will  not  take  employment  is  be- 
“ cause  of  the  presence  of  the  Chinese  here.?  A.  No, 
“ sir  ; I think  American  or  white  girls  are  above  the  busi- 
“ ness  of  going  out.  They  prefer  to  be  educated.  They 
“ all  want  to  be  ladies  ; they  want  to  be  considered  as 
‘‘  such.” 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Brier  testified  ; — 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  whether  white  girls  can  be  obtained 
“ to  fill  the  places  of  house  servants  in  the  country  ? A. 
“ I think  they  cannot  possibly  be  obtained.  The  Catho- 
“ lie  girls  do  not  like  to  go  to  the  country  because  they 
“ have  not  got  their  churches,  and  they  will  not  stay.  It 
“ used  to  be,  before  we  had  any  Chinese  servants  in  the 
“ place,  almost  impossible  to  get  girls  or  any  servants  to 
“go  to  the  country.  We  had  to  depend  upon  Indians 
“and  such  classes  of  people. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  whether  or  not.it  is  difficult  to 
“ obtain  white  girls  to  do  all  the  work  of  small  families  ? 
“A.  It  is  very  difficult  in  the  country. 

“ Q.  In  the  city  is  it  difficult  ? A.  I do  not  know 
“about  the  city. 

“ Q.  Who  are  house  servants  generally  ? A.  They 
“ are  generally  Chinese,  in  the  country. 

“ Q.  In  the  city  ? A.  I do  not  know. 

“ Q.  In  the  ordinary  capacity  of  maid-of-all-work 
“ have  you  ever  seen  an  American  born  woman  ? A.  I 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  572. 


132 


CHINESE  ONLY  IN  THE  COUNTRY. 


“ never  knew  but  one  in  California,  and  that  was  in  my 
“ own  neighborhood,  and  she  was  rather  living  there  as  a 
“home,  but  received  wages.” 

“ Colonel  Hollister  testified  ; — ^ 

“ Q.  Are  the  Chinese  employed  as  house  servants 
“ generally  in  the  country  ? A.  There  is  nothing  else 
“we  can  employ.  I have  been  in  Santa  Barbara  seven 
“ years  and  I have  sent  as  many  as  ten  times  to  San 
“ Francisco  for  women.  They  come  and  stay  about  two 
“weeks.  I pay  their  passage  down — ten,  fifteen,  or 
“ twenty  dollars  ; there  are  various  changes  in  the  rate. 
“We  cannot  do  anytliing  with  them  after  they  come. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  objection  to  going  there  ? A.  It 
“ is  in  the  country  and  they  are  not  quite  near  enough  to 
“ the  cities  and  towns.  It  is  an  objection  to  the  religious, 
“ I suppose,  on  account  of  their  going  to  church,  and  I 
“ suppose  they  do  not  have  as  many  sweethearts  as  they 
“ like.  I cannot  say  what  their  motives  are.  I only 
“ know  the  fact  that  they  will  not  stay. 

“ Q.  As  a matter  of  fact  they  are  not  willing  to  go 
“ into  the  country  as  house  servants  A.  No,  sir  ; there 
“ is  no  use  talking  about  it ; they  will  not  stay  at  all.  It 
“ is  Chinamen  or  nothing. 

“ Q.  What  would  be  the  effect  upon  the  country  peo- 
“ pie  if  they  were  deprived  of  Chinamen  as  house  serv- 
“ ants  A.  It  would  be  very  disastrous.  I cannot  tell 
“how  we  would  get  along.  I think  the  thing  would  re- 
“ suit  in  about  this,  that  every  farmer  would  cease  hiring 
“labor  and  the  family  would  do  just  what  it  could  do.” 

Mr.  Morganthau  testified  ; — ^ 

“ I think  we  must  have  four  to  five  thousand  Chinese 
“ employed  in  our  private  families.  I have  not  any  in 
“ the  house,  never  had  one,  and  would  not  have  one  my- 
“ self  as  a servant.  If  you  should  take  them  away  from 

® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  8ii. 


^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  773. 


EXPERIENCES  WITH  WHITE  SERVANTS. 


133 


“their  employment  in  families  I believe  all  our  ladies 
“ would  try  and  beg  of  them  not  to  leave  this  country, 
“ and  they  would  say  we  cannot  get  along  without  them. 
“ When  you  come  to  this  point  I will  give  you  my  expe- 
“rience.  Since  the  4th  of  July  last” — the  evidence  was 
given  in  November — “ I have  had  about  twenty  girls  in 
“my  house.  I pay  $35  a month  to  the  cook  and  $25  to 
“ the  girl  up  stairs.  I have  had  not  less  than  twenty- 
“ four  if  not  more  since  that  time.  Out  of  these  four  or 
“ five  had  to  be  carried  away.  I had  even  to  send  for 
“ the  police  to  get  them  out.” 

After  reciting  various  experiences  with  white  servants 
indicative  of  their  exacting  demands  for  privileges  and 
their  lack  of  steadiness,  the  witness  proceeded  ; — 

“ I want  to  prove  that  our  labor  has  not  been  de- 
“ creased  ; that  we  are  scarce  in  girls  to-day,  and  good 
“girls.  You  can  send  for  two  thousand  ladies,  the  best 
“ ladies  here,  and  they  would  make  the  same  statement 
“ to  you.  It  shows  that  we  are  not  overcrowded  with 
“goo'd  girls.” 

The  next  and  last  reference  in  the  index  to  white  girls 
as  servants  in  California,  is  to  testimony  of  Mr.  Avery. 
As  his  evidence  has  been  quoted  in  an  earlier  part  of 
this  chapter,  I do  not  need  to  repeat  it  here. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  evidence  thus  adduced  that 
Chinese  servants  in  California  are  pronounced  by  compe- 
tent witnesses  to  be  satisfactory  in  a marked  degree,  and 
that  the  supply  of  women  is  declared,  in  a not  less  posi- 
tive way,  to  be  inadequate  to  the  demand.  While  this  is 
true,  measurably,  in  reference  to  employment  in  the  city 
of  San  Fransisco,  the  evidence  shows  further  that  the  very 
greatest  difficulty  is  met  by  persons  living  in  country 
villages,  and  throughout  the  interior  generally,  in  pro- 
curing women  as  household  servants,  and  that  resort  to 
the  Chinese  is’ not  a matter  of  choice  but  of  necessity. 


134 


CHINESE  INDISPENSABLE. 


It  is  idle  to  put  forward  declarations  that  there  is  a sur- 
plus of  women,  as  workers,  in  California.  So  long  as 
those  who  are  not  fitted  for  special  occupations  are  able, 
in  the  city  and  in  the  country,  to  obtain  places  in  which 
their  food  and  lodging  is  provided  for  them  and  they  are 
paid  from  $20  to  $40  a month  as  wages,  there  can  be  no 
suffering  among  the  members  of  the  class  who  are  willing 
to  work. 

My  own  experience  in  one  single  instance  is  not  with- 
out significance  in  this  connection.  Upon  a recent  visit 
to  California  an  excellent  Irish  maid  who  had  been  in  my 
family  for  many  years,  asked  for  her  discharge  in  order 
to  visit  her  old  home.  This  was  given  to  her,  and  in 
consideration  of  her  long  service  a sum  of  money  in  ex- 
cess of  her  wages  sufficient  to  pay  her  expenses  to  her 
home.  She  had  been  much  about  the  world,  and  was  a 
shrewd  person  well  able  to  decide  where  her  opportuni- 
ties for  employment  and  her  compensation  would  be  most 
satisfactory.  Having  made  her  visit  and  built  up  her 
health,  which  had  been  shattered  by  residence  in  China, 
this  woman,  notwithstanding  the  distance  and  the  ex- 
pense, which  must  always  be  matters  of  importance  to 
one  of  her  class,  made  her  way  directly  back  again  to 
California,  taking  with  her  a young  female  relative.  The 
two  of  them  are  now  at  work  there  and  perfectly  con- 
tented with  their  opportunities. 

The  number  of  Chinese  house  servants  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1876  was  estimated  by  Mr.  Badlam  at  from  5,000 
to  6,000 by  Mr.  Rogers  at  5,000,^  and  by  Mr.  Gibson 
at  4,500.^  Assuming  that  the  correct  number  was  about 
5,000,  about  one  in  five  of  all  the  Chinese  in  the  city  were 
engaged  as  domestic  servants.  At  the  same  rate  about 
15,000  would  have  been  at  service  in  the  city  and  State, 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  253.  ® Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  59. 

* Rep.  Ch.  Irn.,  p.  1 168. 


NUMBER  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


135 


a number  so  inconsiderable  that  considering  the  aggre- 
gate of  population  in  the  State,  and  the  declared  absence 
of  servants,  one  can  only  reach  the  conclusion  that  the 
work  of  housekeeping  in  California  is  declined  whenever 
possible,  and  that  the  families  who  do  keep  house  are 
obliged  to  rely  upon  their  own.  labor  to  a greater  degree 
perhaps  than  anywhere  else  in  the  country. 

In  whatever  way,  then,  we  regard  the  subject,  the  assist- 
ance which  has  been  given  to  the  people  of  California 
by  the  Chinese  as  servants  is  seen  to  have  been  of  much 
importance.  The  experiences  of  such  Chinese  may  be 
humble.  What  they  have  done  does  not  strike  the  im- 
agination with  so  much  force  as  their  services  in  the 
building  of  railroads,  in  mining,  in  agriculture  and  in 
manufacturing.  Yet  it  is  in  this  direction,  perhaps,  that 
they  would  be  most  missed  if  removed  from  the  State. 
We  can  readily  agree  with  Mr.  Morganthau’s  state- 
ment that,  in  prospect  of  such  a catastrophe,  the  women 
of  California  would  declare  that  “they  could  not  get 
“ along  without  them.” 


PART  III.— CHAPTER  I. 


OBJECTIONS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  ADVANCED  AGAINST 
THE  CHINESE.  THAT  THEIR  LABOR  IS  SERVILE. 

This  objection,  or  charge,  of  fundamental  importance.  Statements  of  anti- 
Chinese  partisans.  Distinction  between  a contract  to  labor,  and  a con- 
tract to  repay  money  advanced,  out  of  wages.  How  the  Chinese  were 
employed  by  the  Central  Pacific  railroad.  Evidence  of  Mr.  Crocker. 
General  employment  of  the  Chinese.  Evidence  of  Mr.  Roberts,  Judge 
Heydenfeldt,  Mr.  Lleynemann,  Mr.  Brier,  Judge  Campbell,  Mr.  East- 
erby.  Col.  Hollister,  Mr.  Macondray,  Mr.  Peckham,  and  Mr.  Shearer, 
indicating  that  Chinese  labor  is  free.  Evidence  of  the  presidents  of  the 
six  companies  to  same  effect.  Plow  the  Chinese  come  to  California. 
Statements  of  Mr.  Gibson,  Mr.  Speer,  Dr.  Williams  and  Mr.  Cleveland, 
Opinion  of  the  committee  of  1862.  Slavery  in  China.  Mr.  Speer’s 
and  Dr.  Eitel’s  views.  Labor  by  a class.  The  tendency  in  Califor- 
nia to  degrade  labor  by  denouncing  the  Chinese. 

I have  placed  the  objection  made  to  the  presence  of 
the  Chinese  in  California,  that  their  labor  is  servile  in 
character,  at  the  head  of  the  first  of  the  series  of  chap- 
ters in  which  I shall  deal  with  the  various  objections 
raised,  because  I regard  it  as  the  most  important;  and  I 
believe  it  to  be  the  most  important  because,  whatever  ad- 
vantages California  may  have  derived  from  the  labor  of 
the  Chinese,  the  people  of  that  State  and  of  the  country 
would  be  entirely  justified  in  condemning  the  system  of 
labor  if  it  were  tainted  by  the  essence  of  slavery.  I trust 
that  I shall  be  able  to  show  conclusively  that  it  is  not  in 
any  sense  a system  of  slave  or  servile  labor,  although  it 
is  perfectly  certain  that  Chinese  women  have  been  held 
in  California  under  contracts,  and  thaf  the  system  in 
vogue,  so  far  as  they  are  concerned,  is  one  which  should 
be  condemned  and  corrected. 


IS  CHINESE  LABOR  SERVILE? 


137 


It  will  be  useful  in  pursuing  this  branch  of  our  inquiry 
to  state  what  has  been  put  forward  by  the  party  opposed 
to  Chinese  immigration, 

Mr.  Pixley,  the  agent  of  the  municipality  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, in  presenting  to  the  Congressional  commission  the 
views  of  the  anti-Chinese  party,  used  the  following  lan- 
guage;—' 

“In  reply  to  your  third  interrogatory;  — ‘Do  they 
“ ‘come  here  voluntarily,  and  by  what  means  do  they 
“ ‘get  here.?’ — we  answer  frankly,  yes,  they  come  here  vol- 
“ untarily,  so  far  as  the  males  are  concerned.  They  come 
“ here,  many  of  them,  under  contracts  of  labor,  but  those 
“contracts  are  voluntarily  entered  into,  and  they  are, 
“therefore,  in  that  sense,  free  immigrants  to  our  coast. 
* * Very  many  of  them  undoubtedly  come  upon  their 

“ own  means.  It  requires  but  the  little  sum  of  forty  dol- 
“ lars.  Those  who  have  not  the  means  to  come  by  them- 
“ selves,  after  the  first  came  and  made  money,  they 
“ returned  money  to  aid  their  friends  and  relatives,  as  all 
“ our  European  immigrants  in  the  early  times  used  to  do. 
“ There  are  undoubtedly  many  instances  where  the  Chi- 
“ nese  six  companies,  or  wealthy  members  of  them,  send 
^ to  bring  them  here,  in  order  that  they  may  go  upon  their 
“rolls  and  become  laborers,  out  of  which  they  make 
“ money  as  middle-men  or  agents.  The  Central  Pacific 
“railroad  demanded  ten  thousand  of  these  laborers,  and 
“the  demand  was  greater  than  the  market  afforded. 
“ Through  the  six  companies  they  sent  their  money  to 
“ China  and  brought  them  here,  and  that  iS  the  way  in 
“ which  they  come.” 

Mr.  King,  the  agent  of  the  anti-coolie  clubs,  said; — ^ 

“ The  majority  of  Chinese  males  probably  came  here  vol- 
“ untarily,  as  Mr.  Pixley  suggests,  but  are  bound  by  ser- 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p,  15. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  32. 


138 


EXAGGERATED  STATEMENTS. 


“vile  labor  contracts  for  long  terms  of  years,  and  while 
“ such  contracts  exist  they  are  to  all  intents  and  purposes 
“ the  absolute  slaves  of  the  contractors.  For  although 
“ these  contracts  are  void  by  our  law,  yet  the  superstition 
“ and  fear  of  the  Chinese  bondsman  for  his  master  is  so 
“great  as  to  prevent  him  from  breaking  his  contracts. 
“ That  such  fears  are  well  grounded  we  shall  show  by  ev- 
“idence,  and  we  shall  establish,  further,  this  fact,  that 
“ death  at  the  hands  of  a Chinese  assassin  has  frequently 
“ been  the  fate  of  the  Chinese  slave  who  attempted  to 
“ break  his  shackles  and  regain  his  freedom.” 

It  will  not  surprise  persons  who  are  familiar  with  the 
extreme  language  used  in  California  in  regard  to  the 
Chinese  to  learn  that  not  a particle  of  evidence  was  pre- 
sented to  the  commission  which  would  in  any  way  sustain 
the  declaration  made  at  the  close  of  the  preceding 
extract.  But  one  witness  pretended  to  speak  upon  the 
point,  a man,  the  looseness  of  whose  statements  can 
be  appreciated  only  upon  perusal  of  his  testimony,  and 
his  declarations,  as  will  be  seen  upon  an  examination  of 
of  them,  were  founded  upon  pure  hearsay.  ‘ In  point  of 
fact,  I find  no  testimony,  in  all  that  taken  before  the 
Congressional  commission,  touching  the  assassination  of 
any  Chinaman  by  any  other  Chinaman,  or  by  any  body 
of  Chinamen,  much  less  any  testimony  showing  that 
assassination  has  been  used  systematically  to  enforce  the 
observance  of  labor  contracts. 

Putting  aside  this  assertion  of  the  representative  of  the 
anti-coolie  ‘clubs  there  remain  other  assertions  by  him 
and  by  his  colleague  Mr.  Pixley,  which  demand  serious 
attention.  Is  it  true, 

1st.  That  the  Chinese  come  to  America  under  contracts 
to  labor  ? 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p»  94, 


f 


WHAT  IS  MEANT  BY  SEE  FILE  LABOR. 


139 


2d.  That  the  Chinese  six  companies  import  contract- 
laborers. 

3d.  That  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  sent 
money  to  China  and  imported  contract-laborers  } 

It  will  be  understood  at  once  that  a distinction  is  to  be 
drawn  between  a contract  to  labor,  and  a contract  to  re- 
pay money  advanced,  or  due  and  owing  in  any  way,  out 
of  earnings.  Under  the  former  the  individual  might  be 
required  to  give  his  services  for  a month,  or  a year,  or 
two,  or  five  years,  to  his  creditor.  He  would  not  be  at 
liberty  to  choose  his  employment,  he  would  be  in  a sense, 
a man  in  bonds,  and  any  considerable  class  of  such  labor 
might  be  justly  considered  servile.  The  policy  of  our 
government  discourages  such  contracts,  whether  made  at 
home  or  abroad,  although  there  are  instances  in  which  it 
is  permitted  and  sustained  by  law,  as  in  the  cases  of  ap- 
prentices bound  to  masters  in  order  to  learn  a trade,  and 
of  seamen.  It  is  true,  of  course,  that  contracts  to  labor 
are  constantly  made  with  us,  but  the  law  limits  the  terms 
for  which  such  contracts  may  run,  and  prescribes  such 
remedies  when  the  contracting  servant  fails,  as  to  reduce 
the  penalty  to  the  measure  of  damages  sustained  by  the 
employer.  There  can  be  no  imprisonment ; there  can  be 
no  specific  performance  decreed. 

But  our  laws  do  not  disfavor  contracts  to  repay  money 
advanced,  nor  discourage  in  any  way  the  sense  of  obli- 
gation which  a debtor  should  entertain  toward  his  creditor. 
A note  of  hand  executed  in  London,  or  Berlin,  or  Canton, 
can  be  sued  upon  in  the  courts  of  New  York  or  San 
Francisco,  precisely  as  if  it  had  been  executed  in  New 
York  or  San  Francisco.  It  may  have  passed  from  hand 
to  hand  by  assignment  or  endorsement  but  it  remains 
valid  in  all  places  and  in  all  hands,  until  finally  ex- 
tinguished by  payment  of  the  debt  or  by  the  law  of 
limitations. 


140  CHINESE  IN  CALIFORNIA  ARE  FREEMEN. 

Without  entering  now  upon  the  question^  whether 
many  of  the  Chinese  who  come  to  the  United  States  do 
or  do  not  secure  funds  with  which  to  pay  their  expenses, 
from  friends  or  relatives,  from  money-lenders  or  other- 
wise, which  money  they  agree  to  repay  out  of  their 
earnings,  I proceed  to  examine  the  evidence  in  order  to 
determine  whether  the  declarations  of  Messrs.  King  and 
Pixley  may  be  sustained. 

In  doing  this,  it  will  be  convenient  to  take  the  third 
proposition,  that  the  Central  Pacific  railroad  imported 
contract-laborers,  first. 

I have  already  quoted  at  considerable  length  from  the 
testimony  given  by  Mr.  Strobridge  and  Mr.  Charles 
Crocker  in  regard  to  the  employment  of  Chinese  on  the 
railroad  in  question.  It  will  not  have  occurred  to  any 
one  who  read  the  evidence  so  adduced  that  their  story 
indicated  that  the  Chinese  who  were  in  their  service  were 
any  thing  else  than  freemen.  But  if  doubt  can  be  pos- 
sible on  this  point,  the  emphatic  language  of  Mr.  Crocker 
may  be  quoted  to  show  with  precision  what  his  impression 
of  their  condition  was,  and  how  the  Central  Pacific 
railroad  secured  Chinese  laborers  ; — * 

“ Q.  Do  you  or  do  you  not  believe  that  Chinese  im- 
“ migration  to  this  country  has  the  same  tendency  to 
“degrade  free  white  labor  as  that  of  Negro  slavery  in  the 
“ South  ? A.  No,  sir  ; because  it  is  not  servile  labor. 

“ Q.  It  is  not.?  A.  It  is  not ; it  is  free  labor;  just 
“as  free  as  yours  or  mine.  You  cannot  control  a China- 
“man  unless  you  pay  him  for  it.  You  cannot  make  a 
“ contract  with  him,  or  his  friend,  or  supposed  master,  and 
“get  his  labor  unless  you  pay  for  it,  and  pay  him  for  it. 

“ Q.  Did  you  ever  make  contracts  with  the  six  com- 
“ panies,  or  any  particular  Chinaman,  to  import  here  a 
“ certain  number  of  Chinamen  to  work  upon  your  roads  .? 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  674. 


EVIDENCE  OF  MR.  CROCKER. 


141 


“A.  I never  made  any  contract  with  the  six  companies. 
“ I made  a contract  with  a merchant  here. 

“ Q.  With  any  one  } A.  We  made  a contract  with 
“ Koopmanschap. 

“ Q.  For  how  many  Chinamen  ? A.  I told  him  all 
“he  would  bring,  up  to  2,000.  He  brought  500. 

“ Q.  When  you  employed  Chinamen,  did  you  employ 
“the  individual  Chinaman,  or  did  you  employ  some  man 
“ to  furnish  you  with  a certain  number  of  Chinamen } 
“ A.  On  any  road  where  we  employed  them  for  labor, 
“we  always  procured  them  through  the  house  of  Sisson, 
“ Wallace  & Co.,  here.  * * That  house  furnished  us 

“with  Chinamen.  They  gathered  them,  one  at  a time, 
“two,  three,  four  of  them  in  a place,  and  got  them 
“ together  to  make  what  is  called  a gang,  and  each  gang 
“is  numbered. 

“Q.  Just  like  mules  A.  Well,  sir,  we  cannot  dis- 
“ tinguish  Chinamen  by  names  very  well. 

“ Q.  Like  mules  ? A.  Not  like  mules,  but  like  men. 
“ We  have  treated  them  like  men,  and  they  have  treated 
“ us  like  men,  and  they  are  men,  good  and  true  men.  As 
“ I say,  we  employed  them  in  that  way.  They  come 
“together  in  gangs  of  25  and  30,  as  we  need  them  to 
“work  on  a job  of  work,  and  the  account  is  kept  with 
“the  gang.  No.  i,  2,  25,  30,  50,  100,  just  as  it  is.  Each 
“gang  has  a bookkeeper  to  keep  the  accounts  among 
“themselves.  We  have  a foreman,  and  he  keeps  the 
“ account  with  the  gang,  and  credits  them.  Every  night, 
“ the  Chinese  book-keeper,  who  is  one  of  the  workmen, 
“ and  works  in  the  pit  along  with  the  rest,  comes  up  with 
“ his  book,  and  he  says  so  many  days  for  that  gang,  and 
“ they  count  it  up,  and  they  agree,  and  each  puts  it  down. 
“ When  the  pay  day  comes,  the  gang  is  paid  for  all  the 
“ labor  of  the  gang,  and  then  they  divide  it  among  them- 
“ selves. 


142 


NO  CONTRACT-LABOR  ON  RAILROADS. 


“ Q.  Does  the  same  thing  obtain  with  the  white  men  ? 
“A.  No,  sir;  we  get  the  individual  names  of  the  white 
“ men. 

“ Q.  You  do  not  pay  the  individual  Chinaman  when  he 
“works  for  you  ? A.  We  pay  the  head-man  of  the  gang. 

“ Q.  Some  head-man  ? A.  He  is  a laborer  among 
“them. 

“ O.  You  do  not  pay  them  in  the  same  manner  that 
“ you  pay  white  men  ? A.  In  the  same  manner,  except 
“ that  we  cannot  keep  the  names  of  the  Chinamen  ; it  is 
“impossible.  We  should  not  know  Ah  Sin,  Ah  You, 
“ Kong  Won,  and  all  such  names.  We  cannot  keep 
“ their  names  in  the  same  way,  because  it  is  a difficult 
“language.  You  understand  the  difficulty.  It  is  not 
“ done  in  that  way  because  they  are  slaves. 

“Q.  Is  it  not  a kind  of  servile  labor  ? A.  Not  a bit. 
“ I give  you  my  word  of  honor,  under  oath  here,  that  I 
“ do  not  believe  there  is  a Chinese  slave  in  this  State, 
“ except  it  may  be  a prostitute.  I hear  of  that,  but  I do 
“ not  know  anything  about  it.” 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  evidence  that  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  have  not  imported,  through 
the  six  companies,  or  through  a wealthy  Chinese,  or 
through  any  one  else,  any  contract-laborers  to  work  on 
the  railroad  in  question,  or  on  any  of  the  roads  controlled 
by  them. 

At  this  point  we  may  conveniently  inquire  whether 
the  employers  of  Chinese  laborers  in  California,  generally, 
endorse  the  view  of  Mr.  Crocker,  that  they  are  freemen. 
A considerable  number  of  such  employers  gave  testimony 
before  the  Congressional  commission.  I quote  from 
their  evidence  as  follows. 

Mr.  George  D.  Roberts  testified  ; — ^ 

“ O.  It  is  alleged  that  these  men  come  under  a con- 

*Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  442 


MR.  ROBERTS’  TESTIMONY. 


143 


“tract  of  service — voluntary  contracts,  but  a species 
“of  slavery.  The  question  I desire  to  ask  is  whether, 
“ because  they  do  come  like  that,  and  that  they  work  in 
“ droves,  and  contract  through  one  man,  does  not  account 
“ for  the  efficiency  of  their  labor  'i  A.  I think  that  is  a 
“ mistake,  that  there  is  nothing  of  that  kind  at  all.  I 
“ find  my  Chinamen  entirely  independent  of  the  bosses. 
“When  the  bosses  do  not  pay  them  they  come  to  me. 
“ If  the  boss  does  not  pay  them  any  wages  they  tie  him 
“ up  and  call  on  us.  That  has  been  the  case  in  several 
“ instances.  I find  that  each  man  has  his  account  and 
“ he  holds  the  boss  responsible.” 

Judge  Heydenfeldt  testified  ; — ’’ 

“ Q.  In  your  intercourse  with  these  people,  have  you 
“ had  an  opportunity  of  forming  an  opinion  as  to  whether 
“ they  are  under  the  control  of  any  masters,  or  are  they 
“ independent  men,  acting  for  themselves } A.  I can 
“ only  answer  that  by  saying  that  it  never  seemed  to  me 
“ that  they  are  controlled.  I do  not  know  whether  they 
“ are  or  not. 

“ Q.  Did  those  employed  Ijy  you  act  for  themselves  ? 
“A.  Yes. 

“ Q.  Independently.?  A.  Yes;  in  engaging  them 
“ as  servants  for  the  various  employments  they  seemed 
“to  act  for  themselves.  In  making  contracts  for  the 
“ reclamation  of  tule  lands,  that  is  generally  done  through 
“ contractors.  One  Chinaman,  a man  generally  of  con- 
“siderable  intelligence,  will  make  the  contract,  under- 
“ stand  it,  and  live  up  to  it.  He  employs  the  Chinamen 
“ who  do  the  work.  Whether  he  would  have  any  control 
“ over  them,  whether  they  belonged  to  him  or  were  per- 
“ fectly  free,  I do  not  know. 

“ Q.  If  they  become  dissatisfied,  do  they  consult  their 
“ own  pleasure  about  leaving,  or  do  they  act  under  any- 

* Rep  Ch.  Im.,  p.  51 1. 


144  J70W  THE  CHINESE  MARE  CONTRACTS. 

‘‘  body  else  ? A.  They  always  consult  their  own  pleasure 
“ when  they  are  domestic  servants,  cooks,  or  anything  of 
“ that  kind.  I have  employed  some  and  they  have  left 
“ on  Saturday  without  asking  leave  of  anybody  else,  or 
“without  consulting  anybody  else,  so  far  as  I knew.” 

Mr.  Herman  Heynemann  testified  ; — ^ 

“ O.  What  is  your  observation,  whether  they  are  under 
“ the  control  of  any  person,  or  whether  they  are  free  } A.  I 
“ think  this  so-called  coolie  business  is  a mere  trick,  a 
“ sham,  a delusion.  I do  not  believe  that  they  are  any 
“ more  slaves  than  any  other  people  at  all,  except  as  a 
“general  rule  they  are  absolutely  very  poor  in  their 
“ native  country,  and  have  their  passage  money  ad- 
“vanced.  Many  of  them  have  not  been  able  to  repay  it 
“ at  all,  and  then  they  are  constantly  in  debt.  When 
“ any  white  man  has  a debt  hanging  over  him  he  is  not 
“ as  free  and  independent  as  a man  who  owes  nothing, 
“ and  that  is  the  way  with  the  Chinamen.” 

The  Reverend  William  W.  Brier  testified  ; — ^ 

“ Q-  What  is  your  observation  as  to  whether  they  are 
“ freemen  or  bondmen  ? A.  I thmk  the  only  bondage, 
“ so  far  as  I have  ever  been  able  to  learn,  the  only  obli- 
“ gation  they  are  under,  is  for  money  advanced  for  their 
“ passages  here.  * * Every  man  who  employs  China- 

“ men,  has  one  that  he  calls  the  boss  Chinaman.  When 
“ he  wants  men  he  does  not  go  around  over  the  country 
“ to  look  them  up,  but  he  just  says  to  the  boss,  ‘ I 
“ ‘ want  so  many  more  men  next  week,’  and  that  obtains 
“ the  men.  He  gets  a small  percentage,  I suppose.  I 
“ know  it  is  the  case  with  my  Chinaman.  I suppose  it  is 
“universally  the  case  with  the  boss  Chinaman  who 
“ secures  work  for  other  Chinamen,  to  get  a certain  per- 
“ centage  of  the  wages  of  all  the  men  who  work,  to  re- 
“ward  him  for  his  agency  in  the  matter.  All  the  con- 

“ Rep.  Ck  Im,,  pp.  569,  580. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  534. 


/row  THE  CHINESE  MAKE  CONTRACTS. 


145 


“tracts  for  Chinese  labor,  so  far  as  I know,  are  made 
“ with  what  is  called  a boss  Chinaman,  and  he  hunts  up 
“ other  Chinamen  and  brings  tliem  in.  There  are  a great 
“many  Chinamen  going  from  one  point  to  another,  and 
“ from  one  place  to  another,  and  if  a man  has  a crop  ex- 
“ posed  he  can  get  a large  number  of  men  to  work  for 
“ him.” 

Judge  Campbell  testified  ; — 

“ Q.  What  is  your  opinion,  from  the  observation  and 
“ intercourse  you  have  had  with  them,  as  to  their  free- 
“ dom  ? A.  In  what  sense  do  you  use  the  word  free- 
“ dom  ? 

“ Q.  That  is,  whether  they  are  under  the  control,  as 
“bondmen  or  slaves,  of  any  person  A.  Judging  from 
“ my  own  experience,  I have  never  had  the  least  reason 
“ even  to  suspect  that  they  are  under  the  influence  of  any 
“ other  person  than  themselves. 

“ Q.  You  contract  with  them  directly.^  A.  I con- 
“ tract  with  each  one  individually. 

“ 0.  Do  you  pay  the  person  you  hire  ? A.  I pay 
“them  individually.  Sometimes  when  three  or  -four 
“come  together,  and  are  working  for  me  together,  one 
“will  receive  the  pay  for  the  whole,  but  it  does  not  seem 
“ to  make  much  differencfe  which  one  it  is.  One  of  them 
“ will  come  to  me  with  a statement  of  the  time  each  one 
“has  worked,  and  he  will  receive  their  pay,  and  I hear 
“ nothing  of  it  afterwards.  I presume  it  is  divided  among 
“ them  according  to  their  proportion  of  labor.” 

Mr.  Henry  W.  K.  Clarke  testified  ; — ^ 

“ Q.  How  do  these  Chinamen  come  here,  voluntarily  .? 
“ A.  I have  heard  and  read  a great  deal  about  coolie- 
“ labor,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  brought  here, 
“ but  my  observation  and  experience,  so  far  as  they  have 
“ extended,  satisfy  me  there  is  no  truth  in  it,  that  it  is  a 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  734.  ® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  690. 

J 


146 


HO  TV  THE  CHINESE  MAKE  CONTRACTS. 


“whispered  tale  and  has  no  real  source.  I think  they 
“were  attracted  here,  as  probably  you,  and  I,  and  all  of 
“us  were.  In  early  times  we  came  to  get  money  with 
“the  intention  of  returning,  but  having  arrived  here, 
“ many  of  them  no  doubt  would  remain  and  become 
“permanent  citizens,  if  there  was  any  encouragement 
“given  them  to  become  permanent  citizens.” 

Mr.  Anthony  W.  Easterby  testified  ; — ^ 

“ Q.  Does  Chinese  labor  partake  somewhat  of  the 
“ nature  of  servile  labor  A.  What  do  you  mean  by 
“ servile  labor  ? 

“Q.  I will  put  the  question  in  another  way.  Is  there 
“ that  individuality  about  Chinese  labor  that  there  is  about 
“ white  labor  ? A.  I think  that  they  are  perfectly  inde- 
“ pendent  of  their  foremen.  In  hiring  these  men  in  large 
“numbers,  you  generally  employ  a foreman  to  get  the 
“ amount  of  men  you  require  ; I have  noticed  that  some- 
“ times  scores  of  them  leave  without  the  wish  of  the  fore- 
“ man.  Therefore  I suppose  they  are  independent. 

“ Q.  Do  you  pay  them  individually  or  do  you  pay  the 
“ foreman  ? A,  I pay  the  foreman. 

“ Q.  You  hire  them  through  the  foreman  ? A.  I 
“ hire  them  through  the  foreman.” 

Colonel  Hollister  testified  ; — ^ 

“ Q.  In  your  intercourse  with  them  have  you  formed 
“ an  opinion  as  to  whether  these  Chinamen  who  are  here 
“are  free  or  not  ? A.  If  there  was  ever  a slave  among 
“ them  I knew  it  not.  I treat  with  my  men  severally  and 
“ individually.  I have  no  go-betweens.  I say  to  a Chi- 
“ naman,  generally  one  who  has  been  a father  among 
“ them  and  understands  the  language  well,  ‘ I want  two 
“ ‘ more  Chinamen  ; get  good  men  ; the  best  men  ; go 
“ ‘ bring  them  on  and  I will  give  them  so  much.’  I take 
“ simply  any  one  of  them  who  understands  the  language 

'^Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  771. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  746. 


TENOR  OF  THE  EVIDENCE. 


147 


“and  can  talk  well.  I never  supposed  or  believed  that 
“there  was  a particle  of  peonage  or  slavery  among  the 
“ Chinamen  of  California  ; and  I do  not  believe  there  is 
“ to-day. 

“ Q.  Have  you  seen  any  evidence  of  any  control  exer- 
“cised  by  one  Chinaman  over  another.?  A.  Not  a par- 
! tide.” 

Mr.  Frederick  W.  Macondray,  of  the  house  of  Macon- 
dray  and  Company,  merchants  of  San  Francisco,  en- 
gaged in  the  China  trade  and  consignees  frequently 
of  ships  and  steamers  from  China,  testified  ; — ‘ 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  from  your  experience  in  China, 
“ whether  they  come  here  voluntarily  or  under  compul- 
“ sion  .?  A.  My  impression  is  that  they  all  come  here 
“ voluntarily.  I think  some  have  come  here  under  con- 
“ tracts  between  particular  men. 

“ Q.  How  far  does  the  contract  go .?  Is  it  the  ad- 
“ vance  of  money  for  their  passage  .?  A.  I presume  that 
“ it  is.  I really  know  nothing  about  that  matter  at  all. 

“ Q.  .You  know  of  no  contracts  ever  having  been 
“ made  for  servile  labor,  here,  like  the  coolie  trade  .?  A. 
“ No,  I never  knew  a case  of  that  kind. 

“ Q.  You  have  a line  of  ships  from  here  to  China.? 
“A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  Do  you  bring  any  passengers  by  those  ships .? 
“ A.  When  they  wish  to  come,  of  course.” 

Mr.  Robert  F.  Peckham  testified  ; — 

“ Q.  In  your  dealings  with  these  people  have  you 
“formed  any  opinion  as  to  whether  they  are  free,  or 
’ “ whether  they  are  dependent  and  bound  to  any  one  .?  A. 
“ I am  not  of  the  opinion  that  they  are  bound  to  any 
“ one,  in  one  sense  of  the  term  ; but  when  they  agree  to 
“ perform  service  for  another,  particularly  for  a China- 
“ man,  they  observe  their  agreement  in  the  utmost  good 

®Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  554. 


^ Rep.  Ch.  Ira.,  p.  855. 


148 


TENOR  OF  EVIDENCE. 


“ faith.  Our  process  of  securing  Chinese  help  is  through 
“a  Chinese  merchant  in  this  city,  who  I understand  acts 
“in  the  capacity  of  an  intelligence  office.  He  agrees  to 
“furnish  so  many  men  to  do  so  much  work.  He  picks 
“ up  these  men  where  he  can  get  them,  and  gets  a com- 
“ mission  from  them  for  procuring  them  situations.” 

The  Reverend  Frederic  E.  Shearer  testified  ; — ‘ 

“ Q.  Have  you,  in  your  intercourse  with  the  Chinese, 
“ seen  any  evidence  which  leads  you  to  think  that  these 
“ people  are  under  bonds  to  any  others  ? A.  In  my  ob- 
“ servations  I have  been  led  to  think  otherwise.  At  one 
“ time,  when  I had  sickness  in  my  family,  and  when  a 
“domestic  in  my  service  left  at  almost  a moment’s  notice, 
“ I retained  a Chinaman  for  two  or  three  days,  and  at 
“ the  end  of  that  time  placed  him,  at  the  request  of  a 
“ lady,  in  her  family.  I am  fully  confident  that  he  made 
“his  own  contract  v/ith  her.” 

The  witnesses  whose  testimony  I have  quoted,  were 
among  the  most  respectable  citizens  of  California.  They 
were  all  persons  who  had  come  in  contact  with  the  Chi- 
nese in  that  State,  and  could  not  have  failed  to  detect 
any  indications  of  a system  among  them  savoring  of 
slavery  or  contract-labor.  While  this  is  true,  I desire  to 
call  attention  further  to  the  fact  that  not  one  of  these  wit- 
nesses appears  to  have  had  any  knowledge  that  the  six 
companies,  who  are  charged  by  Mr.  Pixleywith  importing 
coolies  under  a system  of  contract-labor,  were  in  any  way 
concerned  in  the  earnings  of  the  Chinese  who  fell  under 
their  observation.  This  one  fact  should  be  sufficient  evi- 
dence that  they  do  not  import  labor,  for  clearly  if  that  is 
a matter  of  business  vdth  them,  if  that  is  the  object,  or 
one  of  the  objects  for  which  they  exist,  then  also  it  must 
be  an  object  for  them  to  place  the  labor  which  they  im- 
port, and  in  doing  so  they  would  come  into  relations,  di- 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  636. 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  SIX  COMPANIES. 


149 


rect  or  indirect,  with  the  employers  of  labor  through- 
out the  State. 

It  is  possible,  fortunately,  to  cite  the  evidence  of  the 
managers  of  these  companies  on  this  point.  They  were 
not  called  before  the  Congressional  committee,  but  were 
summoned  to  appear  and  give  evidence  before  a com- 
mittee of  the  Senate  of  California  which  took  evidence 
in  San  Francisco,  in  the  month  of  April,  1876. 

One  of  these,  Leung  Cook,  president  of  the  Ning 
Yeung  company,  stated  as  follows; — '' 

“ Q.  ' Do  you  know  anything  about  the  organization 
“of  the  six  companies;  are  you  a member  of  either  one, 
“ and  if  so  state  which.?  A.  I am  employed  in  the  Ning 
“Yeung  company  as  officer.  I have  general  charge  of 
“ that  company,  write  letters,  send  letters  for  my  coun- 
“ trymen,  take  charge  of  their  mails,  &c.  I am  president 
“of  that  company.  When  Chinamen  first  came  to  this 
“ country,  knowing  nothing  of  the  language,  they  found 
“ it  difficult  to  get  along,  and  the  company  was  organ- 
“ ized  to  assist  them  in  getting  employment,  and  in  going 
“ from  place  to  place.  It  has  been  in  existence  about 
“ twenty-two  years. 

“Q.  Has  this  company  any  office  in  any  part  of 
“China.?  A.  No;  because  it  don’t  need  it.  The  sole  ob- 
“ ject  is  to  look  after  Chinamen  here. 

“Q.  How  do  Chinese  laboring  men  get  here.?  A. 
“They  come  of  their  own  accord  and  pay  their  own 
“ passages. 

“ Q.  Wheredothey  get  the  money  to  pay.?  A.  They 
“ are  industrious  and  save  their  wages. 

“ Q.  Is  not  the  money  used  by  some  of  these  people 
“ advanced  to  them,  and  then  collected  here  by  these 
“companies.?  A.  No,  sir;  the  company  has  no  passages 
“ to  pay  for  them. 

* Rep.  Sen.  Com.  1876,  p.  64. 


150 


TESTIMONY  OF  THE  PRESIDENTS 


“ Q.  Are  there  not  men  in  China  who  contract  to  pay 
“ passages  here,  and  the  Chinamen  here  have  to  pay  the 
“ money  back  to  them?  A.  I don’t  know  about  that.” 

Lee  Ming  Hown,  president  of  the  Sam  Yup  company, 
testified ; — ‘ 

“ O.  How  did  the  members  (of  your  company)  come 
“here?  A.  They  heard  that  everybody  in  California 
“ made  a fortune,  so  they  came  here.  If  they  have  means 
“ they  pay  their  own  passages ; if  not,  they  borrow 
“ from  others.  They  sell  their  farms  and  property  to  get 
“here.  If  they  have  no  property  and  can’t  borrow  they 
“ don’t  come, 

“Q.  How  much  salary  does  the  company  pay  you  ? 
“A.  Eighty  dollars  a month. 

“ Q-  What  does  the  president  do  ? A.  Attends  to 
“ new  comers,  persons  not  acquainted  with  the  language 
“ of  the  country,  and  assists  those  who  want  help,  such 
“ as  the  sick  and  disabled.” 

Yung  Ty,  president  of  the  Hop  Wo  company,  tes- 
tified ; — ^ 

“ Q.  How  do  people  belonging  to  your  company  come 
“ here  ? A.  They  raise  money  mostly  at  home.  Some 
“ borrow  from  friends  in  China, 

“ O.  How  many  belonging  to  your  company  are  cool- 
“ies  ? A,  We  have  none  of  that  class,  for  our  men  are 
“ mostly  farmers  at  home. 

“ Q.  Are  they  men  who  own  land  ? A.  Most  of 
“ them  are  working  it  on  shares ; some  of  them  own  the 
“ ground,  some  of  them  are  working  for  wages,  and  some 
“ for  themselves. 

“ 0.  Are  they  called  coolies  ? A.  I don’t  know  what 
“ you  mean  by  coolies.  They  are  not  slaves ; they  are 
“ simply  the  lower  class  of  men,  who  work  for  a living. 

“ Q.  What  is  a coolie  ? A.  I do  not  know. 

* Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  71.  ^ Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  94 


OF  THE  SIX  COMPANIES. 


151 


“ O.  Do  you  know  what  a slave  is  ? A.  We  have 
“ no  such  in  our  own  country.” 

Si  Quon,  president  of  the  Yung  Wo  company,  ‘ was 
examined  by  the  same  committee,  but  not  a question 
was  put  to  him  in  regard  to  the  importation  of  coolie 
labor,  and  the  same  remark  may  be  made  in  regard  to 
the  examinations  of  Sin  How,  * president  of  the  Kung 
Chow  company,  and  of  Chin  Fong  Chow,  president  of  the 
Yan  Wo  company.  The  bias  of  this  committee  against 
the  Chinese  was  very  great,  and  it  may  be  asserted  with 
justice,  that  if  they  failed  to  prove  by  these  several 
witnesses  that  the  six  companies  were  engaged  in  the 
importation  of  coolie  labor,  or  of  coolies,  it  was  not 
because  they  overlooked  this  point.  As  a matter  of 
fact  the  committee  was  appointed  for  the  purpose  of 
gathering  evidence  against  the  Chinese,  and  of  prepar- 
ing a memorial  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
against  them,  and  they  did  their  work  to  the  best  of  their 
ability,  apparently. 

I have  thus  given  evidence  which  shows,  more  or  less 
conclusively,  that  Chinese  laborers  in  California  have 
seemed  in  the  eyes  of  their  employers  to  be  freemen, 
that  they  have  come  to  the  country  under  no  contracts  to 
labor,  and  that  the  six  companies  have  no  concern  in  any 
advances  which  may  be  procured  by  such  laborers  in 
their  own  country  for  the  payment  of  the  expenses  of 
their  voyages  to  ours.  The  evidence  is  taken  from  the 
testimony  of  employers,  and  of  the  presidents  of  the  six 
companies.  The  immigration  of  these  laborers,  and  the 
operations  of  these  companies  have  been  observed,  how- 
ever, by  several  intelligent  witnesses  beside  those  already 
named,  and  is  is  worth  while,  for  greater  certainty,  to  take 
notice  of  the  conclusions  reached  by  them. 

‘ Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  97. 


Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  259. 


152 


CHINESE  COME  VOLUNTARILY. 


Mr.  Gibson,  says  ; — '' 

“ The  Chinamen  who  come  here,  in  every  case  come 
“ voluntarily.  It  is  true  that  many  of  them  are  assisted 
“ financially  to  get  here,  and  to  find  employment  after 
“they  get  here,  and  for  such  assistance  they  gladly 
agree  to  pay  a certain  per  cent,  of  their  actual  wages, 
“until  the  stipulated  sum  is  paid  and  the  contract 
'“cancelled.  * * From  the  beginning  until  now 

“the  opposition  to  Chinese  immigration  has  constantly 
“ repeated  the  unqualified  statement  that  a large  pro- 
“ portion  of  the  Chinese  who  come  to  this  country  are 
“ imported,  or  brought  here,  by  the  six  companies,  or 
“ their  agents,  and  that  all  these  laboring  Chinamen  are 
“ to  all  practical  intents  and  purposes,  the  slaves  or  peons 
“ of  these  companies.  * * In  his  reply  to  Father 

“ Burchard  in  1 873,  the  writer,  who,  from  long  experience 
“with  the  Chinese  ought  to  have  known  what  he  was 
“ talking  about,  boldly  maintained  there  was  no  slavery 
“of  Chinamen  in  America.  If  these  Chinamen  are  all 
“ slaves,  and  have  been  slaves  during  these  twenty  years 
“ of  their  residence  in  all  parts  of  the  Pacific  coast,  in 
“which  time,  according  to  our  agitators,  they  have 
“constantly  blocked  our  courts  of  justice  with  their 
“multiplied  civil  and  criminal  suits,  certainly  it  is  rca- 
“ sonable  to  suppose  that  some  opportunity  would  have 
“ occurred  for  obtaining  reliable  evidence  as  to  the  exist- 
“ ence  of  slavery  among  them.  But  up  to  the  present 
“ time  no  such  evidence,  or  shadow  of  evidence,  has  been 
“ produced.  These  Chinese  coolie-slaves  are  a most 
“ remarkable  class  of  slaves.  They  go  and  come  when 
“ and  where  they  please,  work  and  refuse  to  work  at  their 
“ pleasure  ; they  use  the  proceeds  of  their  labor  as  they 
“ choose,  buy  their  own  clothes,  pay  their  own  rents,  go  to 
“ the  theatre,  gamble,  smoke  opium,  bring  suits  in  our 


* Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  259. 


ABSURDITY  OF  THE  CHARGE. 


153 


“ courts,  send  money  home  to  parents  and  friends,  and  act 
“ in  all  respects  just  like  freemen.  And  yet  we  are  told  that 
“they  are  abject  slaves.  What  wonderful  legislative  and 
“ executive  ability  those  six  Chinamen,  the  presidents  of 
“ these  companies,  must  have  to  enable  them  to  hold  so 
“many  people  in  such  abject  slavery.  Why  have  not 
“ some  of  these  slaves  taken  advantage  of  our  laws  against 
“ slavery,  and  prosecuted  their  cruel  masters  in  our  courts, 
“ and  obtained  a decree  of  their  own  freedom  ? Why  do 
“ the  hundreds  of  intelligent  Chinese  Christians  in  Amer- 
“ ica  constantly  assert  that  there  is  no  such  thing  known 
“ among  their  people  in  this  country  as  slavery,  or  bond- 
“ age,  except  in  the  case  of  women.  This  charge  of 
“ slavery  made  against  the  Chinese  ought  to  be  as  pub- 
“ licly  and  widely  withdrawn  as  it  has  been  publicly  and 
“ widely  made,  unless  some  evidence  can  be  produced  to 
“substantiate  the  charge.  A great,  free  people,  in  the 
“very  act  of  celebrating  the  first  centennial  of  their 
“ independence,  cannot  afford  to  wage  a war  of  races, 
“ based  upon  a tissue  of  falsehoods,  and  wilful  misrepre- 
“ sentations,  instigated  by  prejudices,  ignorance  and 
“ bigotry,  and  conducted  on  the  methods  of  political 
“chicanery.  * * As  to  the  six  companies,  and  the 

“ power  they  wield,  great  misapprehensions  prevail  in  the 
“ minds  of  the  people.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  Chinese 
“ in  China,  when  any  considerable  number  emigrate  from 
“ one  city  to  another,  to  come  together  and  form  a kind 
“ of  mutual  aid  society,  or  guild.  The  officers  are  elec- 
“ tive,  and  hold  their  places  for  a specified  length  of  time. 
“Voluntary  subscriptions  are  raised,  and  voluntary  taxes 
“are  imposed,  for  the  purposes  of  providing  a hall  or 
“ quarters  for  the  meetings  of  the  guild.  Generally  a 
“ temple,  or  shrine  of  worship,  dedicated  to  the  particular 
“ divinities  of  the  class,  is  erected  in  connection  Avith  this 
“ hall.  This  hall  becomes  the  rendezvous  of  the  members 


154 


THA  T THE Y ARE  SLA  VES. 


“ and  retainers  of  the  association.  Membership  is  entirely 
“voluntary,  and  may  be  severed  at  the  will  of  the 
“ individual.” 

Mr.  Speer,  the  author  of  “ China  and  the  United  States,” 
states ; — ‘ 

“The  means  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  voyage  to 
“ California  are  obtained  by  the  Chinese  emigrants  in  the 
“same  way  in  which  they  are  by  our  own  people  in 
“ similar  circumstances.  One  sells  out  his  little  shop  ; 
“another  leaves  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  and 
“ where  his  father  lived  before  him,  in  the  hope  of  bring- 
“ ing  back  money  enough  to  pay  off  some  troublesome 
“ debts,  or  to  enable  him  to  add  a few  acres  to  it,  or  to 
“give  to  his  son  a good  education.  A third  is  aided,  if 
“ he  has  been  unfortunate  in  business,  or  afflicted  in  his 
“ family,  by  contributions  from  a few  of  his  relatives.  A 
“ fourth  borrows  money  at  a high  rate  of  interest,  which 
“ is  to  be  paid  on  his  return.  After  the  most  careful 
“inquiry  on  the  subject  from  all  classes  of  the  Chinese,  I 
“ have  never  been  able  to  learn  that  any  were  brought 
“over  by  capitalists,  and  worked  as  slaves  are,  against 
“ their  will,  and  for  the  advantage  of  the  employer.  This 
“ fiction,  so  often  repeated  in  print  and  otherwise,  in  this 
“ country,  arose  from  the  clubs,  or  companies,  which  the 
“ Chinese  are  accustomed  to  organize  in  any  region  where 
“ a number  of  them  may  be  temporary  strangers  together.” 

The  same  author,  in  another  chapter,  speaks  at  length 
of  the  purposes  and  peculiarities  of  the  six  companies, 
and  gives  a translation  of  the  rules  of  one  of  them.^  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  advert  to  these  companies  more 
particularly  in  another  place  and,  at  the  moment,  content 
myself  by  saying  that  I have  found  nothing  in  the  rules 
of  the  given  society,  or  in  the  general  character  of  these 
organizations,  as  described  by  Mr.  Speer,  to  suggest  even 
that  they  import  labor,  or  laborers. 

‘ Ch.  and  the  U.  S.,  p.  473.  '^Ch.  and  the  U.  S.,  p.  557- 


DR.  WILLIAMS'  EVIDENCE. 


155 


The  venerable  S.  Wells  Williams,  L.  L.  D.,  author  of 
the  “ Middle  Kingdom,”  for  a long  series  of  years  secre- 
tary and  interpreter  of  the  United  States  legation  at 
Peking,  and  personally  acquainted  with  the  questions 
arising  in  connection  with  Chinese  immigration,  both 
because  of  his  official  duties,  and  of  his  long  residence 
at  Canton,  in  a letter  addressed  to  the  committee  of 
the  Senate  of  California  under  date  of  June  30th,  1876, 
stated  as  follows  ; — ' 

“ I think  it  is  certain  that  no  ship  has  arrived  in  Cali- 
“ fornia  with  Chinese  who  had  been  engaged  to  go  there 
“as  contract-laborers,  and  I think  too  that  hundreds, 
“ perhaps  thousands  have  been  deluded  into  accepting 
“ contracts  as  coolies,”  (to  go  to  Peru,  Cuba,  &c.,)  “ from 
“ an  idea  that  they  were  to  be  taken,  if  they  were  not 
“ actually  told  so,  to  the  golden  hills.”  (California). 

Mr.  Daniel  Cleveland,  of  San  Francisco,  gave  in  1868, 
to  Mr.  Ross  Brown,  then  our  minister  to  China,  a paper 
on  the  subject  of  Chinese  immigration,  which  will  be 
found  printed  in  the  book  of  diplomatic  correspondence 
for  that  year.  Mr.  Brown,  in  a letter  which  is  published 
in  the  same  volume,  stated  that  he  knew  “ of  no  citizen 
“of  California  better  qualified  than  Mr.  Cleveland  to 
“treat  the  subject  with  candor  and  intelligence.”  Mr. 
Cleveland  says  ; — 

“ Before  discussing  the  subject  of  Chinese  labor,  it  may 
“ be  as  well  to  say  that  there  are  no  ‘ coolies’  in  this 
“ State  and  never  have  been.  Emigrants  obtain  money 
“ to  pay  their  passages  in  various  ways  ; some  have 
“ money,  others  sell  their  property  and  obtain  it ; some 
“ borrow  from  friends  or  relations ; some  pledge  their 
“ families  as  security  for  the  loan.  They  come  of  their 
“own  option,  and  when  they  arrive  here,  are  free  to  go 
“ where  they  please,  and  engage  in  any  occupation  they 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1246.  ® Dep.  Gor.  1868,  Pt.  I,  p.  541. 


156 


OPINION  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  OF  1862. 


“ will.  Those  who  arrive  in  this  city  without  means,  are 
“ assisted  by  their  countrymen,  and  loaned  money  to  go  to 
“ the  mines  or  engage  in  some  other  labor,  and  aided  in 
“ obtaining  employment.  They  are  as  much  free  agents 
“ as  our  own  people.  A great  and  widespread  misappre- 
“hension  has  existed  on  this  subject  and  has  caused 
“ much  of  the  hostility  to  the  Chinese.” 

I close  this  series  of  extracts  with  the  following  words 
by  the  committee  of  the  California  Legislature  of  1862; — * 

“ Your  committee  is  satisfied  that  there  is  no  system  of 
“ slavery  or  coolieism  among  the  Chinese  in  this  State. 
“ If  there  is  any  proof  going  to  establish  the  fact  that  any 
“portion  of  the  Chinese  are  imported  into  this  State  as 
“ slaves  or  coolies,  your  committee  have  failed  to  dis- 
“ cover  it.” 

It  was  my  intention  in  beginning  this  chapter  to  speak 
of  the  advanced  position  which  the  Chinese  Empire  has 
held  in  regard  to  slavery,  of  the  democratic  quality  which 
pervades  its  polity,  and  of  the  absence  of  caste  among 
its  population.  It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  the  allega- 
tion against  the  Chinese  in  California,  that  their  labor  is 
servile  in  character,  has  been  so  fully  refuted  that  I have 
no  occasion  to  go  further,  and  as  I could  not  do  so  with- 
out encroaching  upon  space  which  must  be  reserved  for 
other  purposes,  I refrain  from  a presentation  of  the  facts 
in  this  connection.  To  those  who  may  be  disposed  to 
carry  inquiry  into  this  domain,  I may  say  that  a chapter 
is  given  by  Dr.  Speer,  in  his  really  admirable  book, 
“ China  and  the  United  States,”  to  “ Popular  Government 
“ in  China;”  and  that  the  most  lucid  statement  which  I 
' have  seen  in  regard  to  the  forms  of  servitude  which  exist 
in  China,  is  contained  in  a report  made  by  Dr.  Eitel,  in- 
terpreter to  the  government  of  Hong  Kong,  which  will 
be  found  in  the  Hong  Kong  Government  Gazette  of  the 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1189. 


NO  SLAVERY  IN  CHINA. 


157 


4th  of  February,  1880.  The  system  as  described  is  a 
part  of  the  patriarchal  polity  of  China,  and  is  so  far  un- 
like the  slave  systems  of  other  regions,  that  an  injustice 
is  done  by  speaking  of  it  as  slaveiy*.  And,  such  as  it  is, 
it  affects  in  the  least  possible  degree  the  class  which  in 
other  countries  is  regarded  as  the  essentially  valuable 
portion  of  a body  of  slaves.  I mean  adult  males.  Dr. 
Eitel  declares  that  he  has  never  seen  such  a slave,  and  I 
may  add  that  during  nearly  twenty  years  residence  in 
China  I have  not  known  a native  of  that  country  to  whom 
the  term  slave  would  seem  applicable.  In  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  cases  the  domestic  servitude  of  the  Chinese  may 
be  regarded  as  favorably  as  the  system  under  which 
children  in  the  United  States  are  sometimes  bound  to 
masters  to  learn  a trade,  or  to  assist  in  their  general 
labors,  in  consideration  of  the  food  and  clothing  and 
other  benefits  conferred  upon  them. 

I am  aware  that  arguments  of  much  weight  can  be  ad- 
vanced to  sustain  the  proposition  that  when  the  labor  of 
a country  is  performed  altogether,  or  in  very  large  meas- 
ure, by  a class  of  the  population,  and  this  class  differs 
from  the  employing  class  in  origin  or  stock,  a tendency 
is  generated  to  degrade  the  laboring  class  and  labor,  and 
that  this  is  unfortunate.  I have  no  desire  whatever  to 
dispute  this  proposition,  but  I assert  with  emphasis  that 
when  conditions  are  such  that  labor  is  necessarily  in  large 
measure  relegated  to  a class,  the  duty  rests  with  all  citi- 
zens to  counteract  the  evil  effects  which  may  result,  by 
all  reasonable  means.  And  certainly  the  readiest  means 
which  may  be  used  is  the  right  instruction  of  youth,  and 
of  the  less  intelligent  classes,  in  regard  to  the  essential 
dignity  of  all  honest,  earnest  and  free  labor.  If  the  pub- 
lic men  of  California,  its  statesmen,  its  politicians,  its 
priests,  its  journalists  and  its  teachers  of  all  classes  had 
consistently  and  continuously  commended  the  Chinese 


158 


AMERICAN  INTOLERANCE. 


for  their  industry,  and  pointed  to  them  as  an  example  of 
what  may  be  accomplished  by  a people  of  less  mental 
and  physical  vigor  than  ourselves  by  the  simple  force  of 
steadiness  at  work,  we  should  have  heard  far  less  of  caste 
and  its  degrading  influences,  and  the  young  men  of  the 
State  would  have  grown  up  to  habits  different  from  those 
which  characterize  the  hoodlum.  As  for  myself  I know 
no  reason  why  I should  not,  if  need  be,  hold  the  plow 
while  the  Chinaman  drives,  or  drive  while  the  Chinaman 
holds,  or  do  the  same  work  with  a native  American  as 
my  associate,  or  a German,  or  an  Irishman.  Experience 
among  different  races  had  only  served  to  intensify  the 
belief  in  which  I was  educated,  that  labor  is  honorable, 
and  that  all  men  under  the  sun  are  worthy  in  the  meas- 
ure of  their  intelligence  and  moral  excellence,  and  not 
according  to  their  grade  in  life  or  the  hue  of  their  skin. 
But  it  may  be  said  with  truth  that  no  great  country  of 
the  west,  in  modern  days,  has  been  more  false  than  our 
own  to  the  great  principle  to  which  I adhere.  As  wit- 
nesses let  the  Negro  and  the  Chinaman  rise  and  declare 
the  wrongs  to  which  they  have  been  subjected,  both  by 
the  conduct  of  individuals  and  by  legislation. 


PART  III.— CHAPTER  IL 


OBJECTIONS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  ADVANCED  AGAINST 
THE  CHINESE.  THAT  THEY  DISPLACE  OTPIER 
LABORERS. 

The  question  treated  from  the  stand-point  of  the  laborer.  The  interest 
of  the  laboring  class  is  not  antagonistic  to  that  of  the  capitalist.  The 
laboring  class  slow  to  appreciate  the  fact.  Trades-unions,  strikes,  &c. 
Antagonism  to  laborers  who  do  not  join  in  coercive  measures.  Antag- 
onism of  this  kind  to  the  Chinese  in  California.  Its  use  as  a party 
cry.  Its  success.  White  laborers  have  not  been  displaced  by  the 
Chinese.  Two  doors  for  labor  opened  for  one  shut.  Examination  of 
facts  regarding  railway  construction  and  its  results.  Facts  regarding 
reclamation  of  swamp  lands.  Facts  regarding  employment  of  Chinese 
in  mines.  Report  of  committee  of  1862.  The  contribution  of  the 
Chinese  to  the  agricultural  achievements  of  California.  Chinese  labor 
does  not  displace  but  supplements  white  labor.  Fruit-raising.  Testi- 
mony of  Col.  Hollister,  Mr.  Heynemann,  Mr.  Colton,  Mr.  Crocker, 
Mr.  Estee.  Chinese  as  operatives.  Testimony  of  Mr.  McLennan, 
Mr.  Peckham,  Mr.  Wheeler.  Chinese  in  special  industries.  Tendency 
of  white  to  displace  Chinese  labor.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Buchanan. 
Shoes,  cigars  and  clothing  still  imported  into  the  State.  Laundry 
work.  Advantages  to  families  of  Chinese  laundries.  Prices  of  the 
necessaries  of  life  reduced.  List  of  sixty  industries  in  which  the  Chi- 
nese are  not  employed.  Domestic  service.  The  employer  entitled  to 
support  as  well  as  the  employed. 

In  the  earlier  chapters  I have  demonstrated  the  fact 
that  the  Chinese  have  contributed  largely  to  the  material 
prosperity  of  the  State  of  California,  and  to  the  conven- 
ience and  comfort  of  its  people.  It  is  urged  against 
them,  however,  that  they  displace  laborers  of  our  stock, 
and  that  the  injury  which  they  occasion  in  this  way,  far 
more  than  overbears  in  importance  the  value  of  their 
contribution  to  the  wealth  of  the  employing  class  and  of 
the  State. 


160 


CAPITAL  AND  LABOR 


In  addressing  myself  to  the  consideration  of  the  ques- 
tions which  are  thus  raised,  I shall  deal  with  them  on 
the  very  narrowest  ground,  placing  myself  as  it  were  in 
the  position  of  the  laboring  man,  and  examining  the 
subject  from  his  stand-point.  I am  well  aware,  however, 
that  in  doing  this  I shall  not  be  able  to  exclude  from  the 
inquiry,  considerations  which  affect  the  wealthy  as  well 
as  the  poor  man  ; for  the  conditions  of  all  classes  in  a 
community  composed  of  freemen,  are  related  in  so  intri- 
cate a manner  that  it  is  difficult  to  say  what  circumstan- 
ces may  affect  this  or  that  class,  which  will  not  tell  also 
in  favor  of  all  others. 

It  may  be  said  at  once  that  it  is  the  interest  of  the  la- 
borer that  he  should  receive  high  wages,  and  that  of  the 
employer  that  wages  should  be  low.  It  is  not  true,  how- 
ever, that  the  interests  of  these  classes  are  antagonistic. 
It  is  in  point  of  fact  the  interest  of  each  that  wages  shall 
te  so  graded  that  industries  may  go  forward.  If  they  are 
too  low,  the  laborer  falls  away  from  his  employment ; if 
they  are  too  high,  the  employer  ceases  to  employ.  There 
must  be  found  an  equilibrium  so  that  the  employer  shall 
receive  encouragement  to  invest  his  capital,  and  to  exer- 
cise supervision  and  care,  and  the  laborer  to  learn  the  av- 
ocation and  to  be  constant  in  it. 

There  have  been  times  and  places  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  and  there  may  now  be  places  where  the  propo- 
sition which  I have  stated  would  not  hold.  It  would  not 
hold  in  California  if  her  territories  were  separated  from 
Those  of  the  rest  of  the  world  by  material  barriers  which 
the  enterprise  of  her  people  had  not  broken  down,  and  her 
soil  was  owned  by  a few.  persons.  It  might  in  such  case 
be  the  interest  of  these  proprietors  to  reduce  the  general 
population  to  a condition  of  utter  dependence.  This 
might  be  true  even  in  a more  developed  society  if  all 
proprietors  were  engaged  in  the  production  of  one  or  two 
staples,  a market  for  which  could  be  found  abroad  only. 


NOT  ANTAGONISTIC. 


161 


The  conditions  in  California  are  very  different  from 
those  which  I have  thus  supposed.  Her  population  is 
composed  of  persons  of  various  aptitudes,  and  of  various 
degrees  of  wealth.  Her  soil  is  sufficient  to  subsist  a 
population  of  fifteen  or  twenty  times  the  present  number. 
Her  mountains  are  very  rich  in  the  precious  metals,  and 
her  capacity  for  the  production  of  all  the  fruits  of  the 
husbandman’s  toil  is  practically  boundless. 

Let  us  suppose  now,  that  in  this  region,  so  vast  and 
fruitful  and  yet  only  partially  populated,  no  railways  have 
been  constructed,  and  that  capitalists  arrive  and  discuss 
the  question  whether  they  will  undertake  an  enterprise  of 
this  sort.  It  is  of  concern  to  them,  in  this  discussion, 
whether  they  can  procure  the  necessary  labor  at  rates 
which  will  justify  them  in  proceeding.  It  is  the  concern 
of  the  laboring  man  who  is  resident  on  the  spot  that  the 
enterprise  shall  go  forward,  both  because  it  will  give  him 
employment  at  the  moment,  and  because  it  is  likely  to 
make  his  opportunities  for  other  employment  greater. 
And  so  it  will  be  found  in  all  other  directions  in  which 
capitalists  are  considering  whether  to  invest  money.  One 
stands  ready  to  establish  a cotton  factory,  another  to 
open  a coal  mine,  but  each  must  know  before  he  begins 
whether,  when  he  has  completed  his  mill,  or  opened  his 
mine,  he  will  be  able  to  secure  laborers  at  such  rates  of 
wages,  and  in  such  numbers  as  to  enable  him  to  compete 
in  production.  And  while  the  capitalist  is  making  his 
calculations,  the  laborer,  if  he  be  reasonably  intelligent 
^and  prudent,  will  watch  the  business  with  interest,  for  he 
may  find  employment  in  the  mill,  or  in  the  mine,  or  in 
the  numerous  industries  which  are  connected  with  them. 
The  proposition  then  is  that  the  capitalist  will  not  only 
be  willing,  but  find  it  is  desirable,  to  pay  wages  sufficiently 
high  to  attract  labor,  and  to  ensure  a constant  and  satis- 
factory supply  of  it,  and  that  men  of  the  laboring-class 


K 


1G2 


CAPITAL  AND  LABOR. 


will  find  it  to  their  interest  to  ^york  for  such  wages  as  will 
encourage  the  capitalist  to  give  them  employment.  And 
when  we  reflect  further  that  after  all  capital  has  no 
option,  and  labor  has  no  option,  but  that  both  the  one 
and  the  other  must  be  employed,  we  come  at  last  to 
the  demonstration  that  in  our  days,  at  least,  the  two 
move  forward  upon  a basis  of  mutual  advantage. 

The  laboring  classes  are  very  slow,  however,  to  appre- 
ciate the  fact  that  employers  are  likely  to  pay  them  as 
high  wages  as  they  can  afford.  They  do  not  stop  to 
think  that  if  a given  business  insures  a good  return  to 
the  capitalist-employer,  he  is  certain  to  extend  his  oper- 
ations, and,  in  order  to  secure  labor,  make  easy  terms 
with  it ; or  that,  failing  in  this,  some  other  capitalist 
will  come  forward,  and,  by  entering  upon  the  business, 
increase  the  demand  for  labor  and  the  chances  for  em- 
ployment at  high  wages.  We  have,  as  a consequence, 
trades-unions  and  strikes,  and  the  introduction  into  great 
enterprises,  by  means  of  them,  of  uncertainties  and  risks, 
which  make  the  capitalist  less  willing  to  enlist  in  such 
undertakings,  and  which,  if  carried  far  enough,  must 
break  them  down. 

The  disposition  to  resort  to  such  means  of  forcing  up 
the  price  of  labor  exhibits  two  phases  of  equal  unreason, 
one  of  which  is  disregard  for  the  employer  who  has 
staked  his  means  upon  the  result  of  his  enterprise,  who 
has  given  employment  when  he  could  afford  it,  and 
perhaps  often,  when  he  could  not ; the  other  is  displeasure 
at  persons  who  will  not  join  in  coercive  measures  against 
employers. 

In  the  State  of  California,  although  wages  have  been 
unusually  high,  and  still  remain  so,  the  disposition  to  be 
exacting  toward  employers  has  been  very  marked.  Great 
industrial  enterprises,  like  those  of  England,  do  not  exist, 
and  we  hear  comparatively  little  of  trades-unions,  but 


A POLITICAL  CRY. 


163 


individuals  of  the  laboring^  classes  leave  their  employ- 
ment for  slight  cause, . and  with  but  little  regard  for 
employers.  It  is  simply  notorious  that  labor  is  unsteady 
and  uncertain.  And  while  this  is  true,  circumstances 
have  tended  to  create  in  the  minds  of  the  workingmen 
peculiar  hostility  to  those  who  are  their  competitors  in 
many  lines  of  employment.  In  saying  this,  I allude,  of 
course,  to  the  Chinesej  who  are  steady,  while  the  others 
are  often  unsteady,  and  who,  more  than  all,  are  content 
with  rates  of  wages  which  they  condemn  as  too  low. 

The  outcry  which  has  been  made  in  this  way  has  been 
long  and  loud.  It  has  been  taken  up  by  a newspaper 
press  which  has  not  borne  in  all  respects  the  highest 
character.  It  has  entered  into  politics,  until  it  has  come 
to  be  believed  that  no  aspirant  for  political  honors  can 
succeed  who  does  not  join  in  it.  It  has  controlled  political 
parties,  and  demanded  consideration  in  the  halls  of  Con- 
gress. It  has  influenced  presidential  aspirants,  dictated 
its  own  terms,  and,  at  the  last,  enforced  action  from  the 
chief  magistrate  of  the  nation. 

It  is  too  late  in  the  day  to  indulge  in  any  hope  what- 
ever that  broad  views  may  be  instilled  into  the  minds  of 
the  laboring  classes  of  California.  Their  views  have 
been  accepted  so  readily,  have  been  endorsed  so  per- 
fectly in  high  quarters,  and  have  afforded  so  many  rally- 
ing cries  in  the  political  battle  field,  that  the  case  is  sim- 
ply hopeless.  But  a love  of  fair  play  exists  among  the 
American  people  at  large,  and  joined  to  this  a capacity 
to  reach  just  conclusions  upon  questions  of  State  policy, 
which  leave  abundant  room  for  hope  that  a demonstra- 
tion of  the  almost  wholly  baseless  character  of  the  cry 
against  Chinese  cheap  labor  will  receive  correct  appre- 
ciation. 

I assert,  that,  so  far  as  the  statement  that  the  Chinese 
have  displaced  the  labor  of  our  own  people  in  California  is 


164 


rivo  DOORS  OPENED  FOR  ONE  SHUT. 


concerned,  it  is  capable  of  demonstration  that  they  have 
produced  just  the  contrary  effect,  and,  having  reference  to 
what  has  been  said  in  earlier  chapters  of  the  material 
advantages  to  the  State  created  by  their  labor  and  to  the 
general  principle  set  forth  already  in  this  chapter,  that 
they  have  actually  opened  two  doors  for  the  employment 
of  our  people  where  they  have  closed  one. 

Let  us  take  up  first  their  services  to  the  State  in  the 
construction  of  railways. 

It  has  been  proven  in  the  chapter  which  I devoted  to 
this  branch  of  their  industries  that  they  displaced  no  white 
laborers,  and  that  in  the  construction  of  the  Central  Pa- 
cific road,  of  the  Southern  Pacific,  and  of  other  lesser 
roads,  they  were  employed  because  American  laborers 
could  not  be  procured.  And  what  has  been  the  result  ? 
The  Central  Pacific  has  opened  the  way  for  thousands, 
perhaps  hundreds  of  thousands  of  our  people  and  of  the 
people  of  Europe,  to  enter  the  State,  and  this,  and  the 
other  roads,  have  opened  the  way  for  them  to  take  up 
lands  here  and  there  throughout  the  whole  State,  and  to 
engage  in  pursuits  to  their  own  advantage  and  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  State  which  it  would  not  have  been  pos- 
sible to  follow,  in  the  absence  of  such  roads. 

I do  not  know  to  what  extent  our  people  have  been 
induced  to  enter  the  State  by  reason  of  the  existence  of 
these  roads,  and  of  the  facilities  which  they  afford  in  a 
variety  of  ways.  I find  it  stated  broadly  that  in  the  year 
1875,  44,937  more  persons  entered  the  State  by  the  Pa- 
cific railroad  than  departed  by  that  line  and  that  the 
population  of  the  State  was  believed  to  have  increased 
from  560,247  in  1870  to  900,000  in  1876,^  these  being  the 
years  in  which  the  full  influence  of  the  construction  of 
the  roads  began  to  be  felt. 

I am  not  now  speaking  of  the  future,  and  I am  not 

Br.  Br.,  p.  iji. 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  992. 


RESULTS  OF  RAILROAD  BUILDING. 


165 


speaking  of  the  moral  or  political  aspects  of  the  Chinese 
question.  I am  addressing  myself  to  the  simple  ques- 
tion whether  up  to  the  present  moment  the  Chinese  have 
displaced  our  people.  What  they  may  do  in  the  future 
I shall  consider  at  a later  moment.  Other  aspects  of 

their  immigration  I shall  also  consider  at  a later  morncnt.l 

1 

But  it  seems  to  me  that  were  there  no  other  answer  to!^ 
the  proposition  which  I combat,  this  one  which  I have 
now  put  forward,  standing  by  itself,  would  be  sufficient. 

It  may  be  responded  here,  that  the  one  proposition 
does  not  necessarily  exclude  the  other,  that  it  may  be 
true  that  thousands  upon  thousands  of  our  people  have 
been  induced  to  enter  the  State  by  the  increased  facilities 
for  their  ingress  and  their  industries  created  by  the  roads, 
and  yet  that  other  thousands  have  been  driven  out  from 
their  employment  by  the  Chinese.  But  were  this  true,  I 
must  assume  that  we  should  regard  primarily  the  inter- 
ests of  the  larger  number,  and  that  if  two  doors  for 
employment  have  been  opened  while  but  one  has  been 
closed,  the  laboring  man  of  California  is  better  off  be- 
cause of  the  result.  It  is  not  necessary,  however,  to  stop 
here  to  discuss  this  question,  for  the  reason  that  my 
further  argument  will  show  that  th’ere  is  scarcely  one 
branch  of  employment  from  which  the  presence  of  the 
Chinese  has  excluded  white  men  in  any  large  measure. 

I have  given  a further  chapter  in  the  earlier  part  of 
this  book  to  the  work  done  by  Chinese  in  reclaiming 
lands  subject  to  overflow.  In  doing  so,  I have  shown  by 
evidence  that  the  labor  so  performed  is  of  a sort  which  is  j, 
distasteful  to  our  people,  and  that  as  a consequence  or  ^ 
this,  and  of  the  higher  price  of  white  labor,  these  recla- 
mations would  not  have  been  made  without  the  assistance 
of  the  Chinese. 

I have  no  data  from  which  I can  determine  how  many 
acres  of  land  have  been  added  in  this  way  to  the  pro- 


166 


RESULTS  OF  RECLAMATION'  WORKS. 


ductive  acreage  of  the  State,  nor  does  it  matter  for  the 
purpose  of  my  inquiry.  What  is  essential  and  what  is 
true,  is,  that  the  lands  so  reclaimed  have  been  occupied 
in  large  measure  by  our  own  people,  that  the  slender 
dikes  passed  around  them  by  the  patient  toil  of  the 
Chinese  have  enabled  white  men  to  turn  over  with  the 
plow  every  part  of  those  lands,  to  raise  there,  at  one  and 
the  same  time,  their  crops  and  their  families.  My  im- 
pression is,  that  there  is  not  an  unemployed  white  man  in 
California,  who  having  a little  capital,  could  not  go  upon 
these  reclaimed  lands  and  secure  an  abundant  return  for 
his  labor  and  his  money,  and  that  the  proprietors  of  these 
lands  are  so  anxious  to  have  them  worked  that  they 
would  extend  facilities  to  all  suitable  persons  who  might 
come  forward  for  such  occupation,  regardless  of  their 
ability  to  find,  for  themselves,  the  means  to  supplement 
their  labor. 

It  would  appear  at  first  sight,  that  the  labor  of  China- 
men in  the  placer  mines  of  California  would  be  in 
competition  with  the  labor  of  our  people,  or  at  least  that 
it  would  add  nothing  to  their  opportunities  for  employ- 
ment, but  it  is  easy  to  prove  that  this  view  is  a careless 
and  unfounded  one.  Let  us  suppose  that  the  Chinese 
gold  washers  of  1 862  realized  from  their  labors  the  gross 
sum  of  $15,000,000  a year.  At  this  date  nearly  all  the 
Chinese  laborers  in  California  were  engaged  in  the  mines, 
their  earnings  were  very  large,  and  the  expenditures  of 
the  whole  class  could  be  rightly  charged  against  the  in- 
dustry which  supported  them.  The  committee  of  the 
Legislature  of  California  of  1862  gave  the  following 
estimate  of  those  expenditures  ; — ^ 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1190. 


CHINESE  IN  THE  MINES. 


167 


“STATISTICS  FOR  1 86 1. 

“ Duties  paid  by  Chinese  importers $ 500,000 

“Freight  money  to  ships  from  China 180,000 

“ Passage  money  to  ships,  “ “ 382,000 

“Head-tax 7)55^ 

“ Boat  hire 4<7^7 

“Rent  for  stores,  and  storage 370,000 

“Licenses,  taxes,  &c.,  in  the  State 2,164,273 

“ Commissions  paid  to  auctioneers  and  brokers.  20,396 

“ Drayage  in  San  Francisco • 59,662 

“Teaming  in  interior  of  State 360,000 

“ Paid  for  American  products  in  San  Francisco  1,046,613 

“Paid  for  American  products  in  State 4>9S3>3^7 

“ Paid  for  fire  insurance  in  San  Francisco....  i)925 
“Paid  for  marine  insurance  “ “ ....  33,647 

“ Paid  for  steamboat  fares  to  Sacramento  and 

“ Stockton 50,000 

“Paid  for  stage  fares  to  and  from  the  mines. . 250,000 

“ Paid  for  steamboat  up  river  freights 80,000 

“Water  rates  for  Chinese  miners 2,160,000 

“Mining  claims  bought  by  Chinese 1,350,000 


Commenting  upon  this  table,  the  committee  of  1862 
said  ; — 

“ From  the  above  remarkable  statistics,  amounting  to 
“ fourteen  millions  of  dollars,  nearly,  you  will  be  able  to 
“ form  an  idea  of  the  value  which  this  Chinese  population 
“and  industry  confer  upon  the  State.  Dissect  these 
“various  items  and  observe  what  employment  this 
“scourged  race  gives  to  our  shipowners,  our  water-men, 
“teamsters,  steamboat  men,  stage  owners,  with  their 
“hostlers,  and  horses  and  blacksmiths,  and  carriage- 
“ makers,  our  farmers  and  cattle-men,  in  short,  in  nearly 
“every  branch  of  human  industry  in  the  State.” 

The  language  thus  used  is  very  just,  but  it  was  not 
necessary  to  give  statistics  to  enable  one  to  reach  the 


108 


WEALTH  COHFERRED 


interesting  conclusion  of  the  committee.  It  is  entirely 
certain  that  the  earnings  of  any  class  of  laborers  are 
expended  almost  as  soon  as  they  are  received.  The 
Chinaman  is  not  an  exception  to  this  rule.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  very  thrifty,  yet  it  is  his  weakness,  as  it  is  that 
of  other  men,  to  increase  his  outlays  as  his  income 
increases.  If  he  saves  ten  per  cent,  of  his  earnings,  he 
does  well  for  a man  of  his  class.  My  own  opinion  is 
that  he  does  not  do  so,  and  I am  fortified  in  this  judg- 
ment by  my  personal  knowledge  of  the  Chinaman  and 
some  facts  that  I may  adduce  at  a later  moment.  Let 
us  suppose,  then,  that  his  earnings  are  $15,000,000  an- 
nually. Of  this  sum,  ten  per  cent,  having  been  deducted 
for  savings,  $13,500,000  will  pass  into  general  circulation, 
remaining  to  enrich  the  State,  or  passing  out  of  it  to  pay 
the  debts  of  the  general  population.  It  is  a stream  of 
wealth  which  enriches  the  whole  region.  It  is  perennial 
in  its  flow.  Its  benefits  do  not  cease  at  the  source,  or 
with  its  origin.  It  moves  the  wheels  of  industry  through- 
out its  whole  course. 

To  what  has  been  said  it  is  desirable  to  add  a proposi- 
tion, which  will  have  been  inferred  from  what  I wrote  in 
the  chapter  o«  Chinese  in  mining,  and  which  I restate 
in  the  forcible  language  of  the  committee  of  1862  ; — 

“ These  departments  of  labor,”  (the  enterprises  of  ship- 
owners, steamboat  men,  &c.,  referred  to  previously)  “ are 
carried  on  by  white  men,  independent  of  Chinese  labor, 
“ but  largely  indebted  for  their  recompense  to  Chinese 
“ industry  and  patronage.  And  for  this  fourteen  mil- 
“ lions  of  dollars  which  we  gather  from  the  Chinese  what 
“ do  we  give  in  exchange  } Mainly,  thus  far,  the  privi- 
“ lege  to  work  in  the  mines,  on  bars,  beds,  and  gulch 
“ claims,  which  have  been  abandoned  by  our  countrymen 
“ and  other  white  men,  because,  by  their  intelligence  and 
“ skill  they  could  find  other  diggings  where  they  could 


BY  THE  SCOURGED  RACE. 


169 


“do  better.  Such  claims  to  all  but  the  patient,  moder- 
“ate  Chinese  would  otherwise  have  remained  idle  and 
“ unproductive.” 

From  that  time  to  this,  as  I believe,  the  situation,  so 
far  as  our  inquiry  is  concerned,  has  not  changed.  Placer 
digging  is  carried  on  not  for  wages,  but  for  the  find  of 
gold.  The  white  man  will  enter  upon  the  industry  if  it 
will  repay  him  to  do  so,  but  not  otherwise.  For  one 
reason  and  another  the  white  man  has  had  an  advantage 
over  the  Chinaman.  The  laws  and  customs  of  the  min- 
ing districts,  for  instance,  have  given  him  facilities  to 
purchase  claims,  not  possessed  by  Chinamen.  The  lat- 
ter, in  fact,  have  generally  held  from  or  through  whites. 
The  security  enjoyed  by  the  white  man  has  been  greater 
than  that  of  his  competitor.  The  latter  has  had  to  bear 
the  burden  of  a grievous  tax,  -not  imposed  upon  the 
white.  From  deep  mining  white  miners  have  managed 
to  practically  exclude  Chinamen.  In  hydraulic  mining 
the  testimony  shows  that  the  whites,  as  employers,  have 
nearly  monopolized  the  business,  and  that  when  they  have 
employed  Chinese,  they  have  been  driven  to  it  by  high 
Avagcs  demanded  by  the  whites,  and  the  necessity  to 
economize  or  close  their  work. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  say,  then,  upon  any  basis  of 
broad  reasoning  that  the  opportunities  of  white  laborers 
in  California  have  been  decreased  and  impaired  by 
the  presence  of  the  Chinese  in  the  mines  of  the  State. 
In  their  narrow  ways  of  regarding  the  matter  the  case 
may  seem  different,  but  that  does  not  alter  the  fact  nor 
excuse  the  more  intelligent  portion  of  the  community 
and  of  the  nation  from  taking  a sensible  and  just  view 
of  it.  The  general  good  demands  that  they  should  do 
this  and  the  good  of  the  working  men  themselves  de- 
mands that  the  more  intelligent  should  enforce  their 
views. 


170 


ASSISTANCE  GIVEN  BY  CHINESE 


To  make  an  argument  here  to  show  that  the  Chinese 
have  contributed  greatly  to  the  agricultural  achievements 
of  California,  and  that  in  doing  so  they  have  supple- 
mented the  labors  of  our  own  people  rather  than  com- 
peted with  them,  would  be  to  repeat  in  great  part  the 
statements  and  evidence  given  in  the  chapter  dealing 
with  their  labor  in  this  department  of  industry.  I may 
recapitulate  briefly,  however,  the  tenor  of  that  chapter, 
and  point  out  with  clearness  the  lesson  to  be  derived  from 
it.  It  would  seem,  then,  that  although  the  farmer  of  Cal- 
ifornia has  appeared  prominently  in  the  markets  of  the 
world  as  a producer,  more  particularly  of  wheat,  the  cir- 
cumstances surrounding  him  have  obliged  him  to  take 
up  a system  of  husbandry  which  has  been  so  directed  as 
to  enable  him  to  draw  the  utmost  from  the  soil,  at  the 
least  possible  expense.  Land  has  been  cheap,  capital 
and  wages  have  been  dear,  and  under  these  circumstances 
the  system  graphically  called  land-killing  is  inevitable. 
The  wages  of  laborers,  and  the  ability  to  command  a 
great  deal  of  labor  at  short  notice,  are  important  mat- 
ters in  such  a condition  of  things.  The  average  of  the 
former  has  been  broken  down  somewhat,  perhaps,  by  the 
presence  of  the  Chinese;  the  latter  has  been  supplied  by 
them  more  or  less  in  the  measure  of  the  demand.  These 
few  facts  indicate  the  large  place  which  the  Chinese  have 
taken  in  the  agricultural  enterprises  of  California,  and 
pursued  further  will  show  that  the  services  of  the  Chinese 
have  increased  the  demand  for  white  labor.  The  profits 
of  farmers  are  never  large.  As  a rule  wealth  rarely  falls 
to  their  lot,  and  the  fact  indicates  how  close  must  be 
their  economies.  If  then  there  had  been  no  Chinese  in 
the  State,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  the  narrow  margin 
of  profit  which  the  farmer  expects  would  have  been  real- 
ized in  California,  and  failing  this  the  lands  v/ould  have 
remained  unbroken  by  the  plow  or  turned  back  after  their 


IN  AGRICULTURE. 


171 


first  crops  to  be  ranged  over  by  herds  of  cattle  and  of 
sheep.  But  the  presence  of  the  Chinamen  would  seem 
to  have  turned  the  scale  in  favor  of  the  farmer,  or  at  least 
enabled  him  to  extend  his  operations.  It  happens,  more- 
over, that  the  kind  of  farming  practised  in  California  re- 
quires a great  deal  of  what  may  be  called  skilled  labor. 
The  plowman  handles  his  team  of  four  or  six  horses  and 
manages,  while  driving,  a gang  of  plows.  Sowing  is  done 
in  the  same  large  way,  and  harvesting  with  the  heading 
machine  is  a difficult  matter  requiring  quickness  of  eye, 
familiarity  with  horses  and  with  machinery,  and  consid- 
erable physical  vigor.  For  all  these  branches  of  the  far- 
mer’s work  the  American  is  better  fitted,  by  far,  than  the 
Chinaman,  but  the  labor  of  the  latter  comes  in  to  sup- 
plement that  of  the  former  in  what  might  be  called  the 
simple  drudgery  of  the  work.  The  Chinaman  can  ride 
in  the  header  wagon  and  clear  the  grain  as  it  pours  in,  he 
can  discharge  the  loads  and  feed  and  clear  the  thresher, 
he  can  sack  the  grain,  and  where,  under  a more  careful 
system,  the  fields  are  cut  by  reapers  instead  of  headers, 
he  can  bind  up  the  sheaves  and  load  them  on  the  wagons. 

While  the  Chinaman  comes  in  in  these  ways  to  sup- 
plement the  work  of  the  American  in  wheat  growing,  in 
other  branches  of  farming  his  services  are  not  less  useful, 
while  still  complementary  in  character.  If  the  field  is 
one  in  which  maize  is  being  grown,  he  is  an  excellent 
hand  at  the  hoe,  he  can  shuck  out  the  ripened  ears,  and 
turn  the  shelling  machine.  If  root  crops  are  cultivated, 
no  man  is  more  practical  in  the  small  work  of  hoeing 
and  weeding,  and  of  digging  out  the  crop  than  he.  Mean- 
while, in  all  these  branches,  the  farmer  is  himself  the  over- 
seer and  his  white-hands  are  filling  the  more  difficult 
places,  and  earning  larger  wages  than  the  Chinese,  in  the 
measure  of  their  greater  adaptability,  skill  and  experience. 

In  fruit  raising,  we  find  the  conditions  analogous.  The 


172 


FRUIT  CULTURE,  ETC. 


farmer  requires  a few  skilled  hands  to  assist  in  the  prepar- 
ation of  his  land,  in  the  planting  of  orchards  and  vine- 
yards, in  grafting  and  in  pruning.  And  when  the  season 
of  harvesting  arrives  his  work  must  be  hastened  or  the 
fruit  drops  to  the  ground  and  is  lost.  When  saved  the 
various  careful  processes  for  its  manipulation  or  preserva- 
tion fall  necessarily  into  the  hands  or  under  the  supervi- 
sion of  persons  of  greater  intelligence  and  experience. 

If  it  be  thought  that  I have  deceived  myself  in  the  fore- 
going statements,  I can  only  ask  my  readers  to  study  for 
themselves  with  care  the  testimony  taken  before  the 
commission  of  Congress.  I may,  however,  without  extend- 
ing my  writing  unduly,  quote  some  portions  of  the 
evidence  which  relates  to  this  subject. 

Colonel  Hollister,  for  instance,  said 

“ O.  Could  you  raise  wheat  here  and  export  it  with- 
“ out  Chinese  labor  A.  I think  not.  They  are  useful 
“ in  very  many  places  in  the  field.  They  are  not  very 
“ skillful  planters,  but  in  gathering  the  crops,  and  handling 
“ them  in  other  ways,  they  are  very  important,  so  much 
“ so,  that  farming  crops  would  have  been  failures  entirely 
“ if  it  had  not  been  for  the  Chinamen  to  gather  them  in.” 

And  again  ; — 

“ Q.  What  effect  does  the  presence  of  the  Chinaman 
“have  upon  immigration.?  A.  If  the  immigrant  has  a 
“ bit  of  sense,  the  Chinaman  is  the  best  inducement  in 
“ the  world  to  bring  him  here.  If  he  knows  anything 
“ about  what  is  in  the  country,  he  will  know  that  there  is 
“ somebody  here  to  do  the  work,  that  kind  of  work  which’ 
“ he  cannot,  or  does  not  want  to  do.” 

Mr.  Heynemann  said  ; — 

“ Q-  What  is  our  chief  element  of  wealth  at  the  present 
“ time  .?  A.  Commerce.  California  is  dependent  upon 
“ her  unrivaled  position  on  the  Pacific  ocean. 

®Rep.  Ch.  Ini.,  p.  535, 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  773. 


ENCOURAGES  WHITE  IMMIGRATION. 


173 


“ Q.  What  are  our  great  articles  of  export  ? A. 
“ grain,  wool,  wine,  precious  metals ; grain,  of  course, 
“ leading  everything. 

“ Q-  Without  the  grain  trade  would  there  be  the 
“ same  amount  of  building  cities,  grading  and  other  work 
“ that  is  done  by  white  labor  ? A.  California  would  not 
“ exist  as  a State  as  she  now  does. 

“ 0.  Do  you  think  the  presence  of  the  Chinese  dimin- 
“ ishes  the  immigration  from  the  Eastern  States  ? A.  I 
‘'think  it  increases  it.” 

Mr.  Colton  said  ; — ^ 

“ Q.  State  whether,  in  your  opinion,  the  presence  of 
“ Chinamen  retards  the  settlement  of  the  country  by 
“ white  people  ? A.  I do  not  think  so ; on  the  con- 
“trary,  I think  that  it  would  have  the  reverse  effect,  if 
“ anything.  They  perform  a class  of  labor  that  you  can- 
“ not  have  done  in  any  other  way.  It  enables  farmers  to 
“ carry  on  their  occupation  in  various  ways ; and  with- 
“ out  the  employment  of  this  labor  I do  not  believe  that 
“ land  would  have  been  cultivated  anything  like  soprosper- 
“ ously  as  it  has  been.  * * I have  heard  a great  deal 

“ said  about  white  labor  not  having  employment,  but  I 
“ have  yet,  in  twenty-seven  odd  years,  to  find  any  white 
“ man  who  was  honest  in  his  purposes,  to  fail  to  get 
“ labor.  If  he  will  attend  to  business  honestly  and  in- 
“dustriously,  he  Avill  not  only  find  plenty  to  do,  but  the 
“ first  thing  you  know  he  will  be  managing  twenty  or 
“ thirty  Chinamen  ; that,  I think,  is  the  result  of  these 
“ matters  in  this  country.” 

Mr.  Crocker  said  ; — ^ 

“ I think  that  they  afford  white  men  labor.  I think 
“ that  their  presence  here  affords  to  white  men  a more  ele- 
“ vated  class  of  labor.  As  I said  before,  if  you  should 
“drive  these  75,000  Chinamen  off. you  would  take  75,000 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  601. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  670. 


174 


RECENT  IMMIGRATIONS. 


“ whites  from  an  elevated  class  of  work,  and  put  them 
“ down  to  doing  this  low  class  of  labor  that  the  Chinamen 
“are  now  doing.  For  any  man  to  ride  through  Califor- 
“nia  from  one  end  to  the  other  and  see  the  miles  upon 
“ miles  of  uncultivated  lands,  in  the  mountains  millions 
“ of  acres  of  timber,  and  the  foot  hills  waiting  for  some 
“ one  to  go  and  cultivate  them,  and  then  talk  about  there 
“ being  too  much  labor  in  the  country  is  simply  nonsense, 
“ in  my  estimation.  There  is  labor  for  all,  and  the  fact 
“that  the  Chinamen  are  here,  gives  an  opportunity  for 
“ white  men  to  go  in  and  cultivate  this  land  when  they 
“ could  not  cultivate  it  otherwise.” 

Mr.  Estee  testified 

“ Q.  How  is  it  with  regard  to  white  passengers  ? A. 
“ The  white  passengers  overland  ? 

“ 0.  Everyway.^  A.  Since  1854  or  1855  the'white 
“ immigration  has  not  been  so  large  as  it  has  been  in  the 
“ last  two  or  three  years. 

“ Q.  You  mean  it  has  not  been  larger  than  in  the  last 
“two  or  three  years.?  A.  Yes,  sir.  From  1850  to 
“1854  it  was  very  large. 

“ Q.  Then  there  was  a great  influx  on  account  of  the 
“gold  fever  .?  A.  Yes,  sir  ; that  was  temporary.” 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Brier  testified  ; — 

“ I think  that  Chinese  immigration  has  been  an  ad- 
“ vantage  to  the  pecuniary  interests  of  the  State,  and  I 
“ think  it  has  kept  up  the  prices  of  the  labor  of  white 
“people.  In  1857  I paid  $i  less  to  the  white  man  that 
“ I always  keep  than  I do  now,  and  he  was  a much  bet- 
“ter  hand  than  I have  now.  While  traveling  in  the  East 
“this  spring  I made  diligent  inquiry  in  different  States, 
“ and  I found  that  the  price  of  labor  on  farms  ranged 
“from  $12  to  $15  a month  for  that  class  of  laborers  who 
“receive  here  $25  to  $30.  I judge  from  that,  that  some- 

® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  572. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  713. 


CHINESE  PREVENT  STRIKES.  175 

“ thing  has  raised  the  price  of  white  labor  among  us  and 
“kept  it  up.” 

The  same  witness  said  ; — 

“ I know  that  I would  have  to  stop  and  dig  up  my 
“ fruit  trees,  without  Chinese  labor.” 

And  again ; — 

“ I think  it  decidedly  to  the  interests  of  the  country, 
“that  in  the  employment  of  capital  in  manufacturing, 
“ and  in  the  production  of  such  things  as  can  be  exported, 
“ there  should  be  such  pay  to  the  capitalists  as  will  induce 
“ them  to  go  into  it ; otherwise  these  industries  would  not 
“ be  carried  on,  and,  therefore,  detriment  would  befall  the 
“ capital  of  the  State  and  the  laborers.” 

The  considerations  affecting  the  employment  of  our 
own  people  and  the  Chinese  in  manufacturing  enterprises, 
as  operatives,  are  of  the  same  kind  precisely  as  those 
affecting  employment  in  agriculture,  but  the  case  is  more 
concrete,  and  serves  to  illustrate  the  rule  more  perfectly. 
I shall  let  employers  of  labor  in  this  department,  explain 
the  facts. 

Donald  McLennan,  of  the  Mission  woolen  mills,  a 
man  to  whom  this  branch  of  industry  in  California  owes 
more  than  to  any  other,  testified  ; — 

“ The  Chinese  are  a necessity  in  this  way ; if  we  had 
“ six  hundred  white  persons,  we  would  not  be  sure  on 
“ Monday  morning  whether  one  of  them  would  come  to 
“work  or  not.  If  I wanted  to  borrow  $100,000 — and  I 
“had often  to  borrow  from $50,000  to  $100,000  in  starting 
“ my  mill — and  had  an  entire  community  of  white  help, 
“ the  banker  would  tell  me  at  once  ; — ‘ McLennan,  I 
“ ‘ would  readily  give  you  this  sum  of  money,  because  I 
“'know  your  intentions  are  honest,  that  you  are  indus- 
“ ‘ trious,  &c.,  but  what  security  is  there  that  you  can 
“ ‘ repay  me.’  I would  reply,  ‘ I have  got  my  business. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  608. 


176 


INTRODUCTION  OF  CHINESE 


“ ‘ and  I have  got  my  white  labor  running  largely.’  But 
“he  would  answer,  ‘You  do  not  know  but  that  these 
“ ‘ people  may  strike  upon  you  at  any  moment,  and  when 
“ ‘ your  note  becomes  due  you  cannot  meet  it.’  But 
“ Chinese  labor,  as  a portion  of  the  help,  is  a check  upon 
“ anything  of  that  kind. 

« “ Q.  Can  you  successfully  compete  with  the  Eastern 

“market?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ 0.  Could  you  substitute  Avhite  labor  to-day  and  do 
“that?  A.  Not  at  the  present  price  of  white  labor. 

“ O.  How  many  operatives  have  you  ? A.  We  have 
“ 600  altogether — about  300  Chinese  and  the  rest  whites. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  rates  of  wages  that 
“ you  pay  to  the  two  races  ? A.  We  pay  our  white  men 
“from  $1.75  to  $6  a day,  and  we  pay  the  Chinese  90 
“ cents  a day. 

“ Q.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  amount  of  work 
“ they  perform  ? A.  The  white  help  is  more  skilled 
“labor,  and  the  Chinaman  does  more  medium  work, 
“such  as  attending  machines,  and  working  in  lighter 
“ work. 

“ O.  They  are  employed  in  a different  kind  of  Avork  ? 
“A.  Yes,  sir.  The  white  men  are  the  foremen,  the  over- 
“ seers,  the  carpenters,  machinists  and  engineers,  and 
“work  in  the  dye-house  and  the  several  departments  of 
“ work.  I Avish  it  understood  distinctly  that  it  is  not  my 
“ Avish,  and  never  has  been,  to  employ  any  of  these  people 
“ Avhere  Avhite  men  should  be;  but,  at  the  same  time,  I 
“ firmly  believe  that  if  the  Chinese  were  driven  from  the 
“ State,  the  State  Avould  be  more  than  half  bankrupt.” 

Mr.  Beckham,  of  the  San  Jose  Avoolen  mills,  testified  ; — ‘ 

“ We  employ  Chinamen  because  it  is  necessary  for  us 
“to  compete  in  the  business.  To  our  Avhite  labor  Ave 
“ have  to  pay  Avages  far  in  advance  of  what  -is  paid  in 


‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  553. 


BENEFICIAL  TO  OTHER  LABORERS. 


177 


“similar  institutions  in  the  Eastern  States  with  which 
“we  come  directly  into  competition.  To  Chinamen,  on 
“an  average,  we  pay  less.  A year  and  a half  ago  we 
“ compared  pay  rolls  with  several  institutions  in  the  East, 
“ and  I found  that  in  our  business  and  in  theirs,  there 
“was  but  little  difference;  that  with  our  high  priced  white 
“ labor  and  cheap  priced  Chinese  labor,  we  average  with 
“ them.” 

Mr.  Alfred  Wheeler,  who,  although  not  an  employer 
of  labor,  seems  to  have  been  a careful  observer  of  the 
industries  of  the  State,  testified  ; — ^ 

“ It  is  in  the  light  of  such  an  establishment  as  that  of 
“woolen  mills  that  I made  the  remark  that  the  intro- 
“duction  of  Chinese  labor  is  beneficial  to  the  white  la- 
“ borer  entirely ; that  it  enables  the  white  men  of  Cali- 
“ fornia  to  get  blankets  at  a reasonable  price,  and  every 
“ one  uses  them;  and  also  that  there  are  a thousand  av- 
“ enues  of  labor  which  a factory  furnishes,  which  are  not 
“performed  by  the  Chinese.  All  the  manufacture  of 
“boxes  in  which  the  goods  go,  the  drayage,  the  building 
“ and  manufacture  of  machinery,  keeping  it  in  repair,  the 
“distribution  of  goods  when  manufactured,  on  the  rail- 
“ ways  and  steamers ; there  are  a thousand  avenues  of 
“business  and  trade  which  follow  the  introduction  of 
“ such  an  industry.” 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  effect  of  Chinese  compe- 
tition in  special  industries,  such  as  shoe-making,  cigar- 
making, and  washing. 

I have  shown  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  special  in- 
dustries of  the  Chinese  in  California,  that  shoe-making 
was  not  carried  on  to  any  extent  in  California,  until  the 
moment  when  the  Chinese,  employed  at  first  by  our 
own  people,  began  to  be  connected  with  it.  It  cannot 
be  true,  therefore,  to  any  great  extent,  that  our  own  peo- 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  529. 


L 


178 


CHINESE  DISPLACED. 


pie,  or  persons  df  other  nationalities  not  Chinese,  have 
been  ousted  from  it  by  Chinese  competition.  In  point 
of  fact  it  is  likely  that  at  no  previous  date  the  number 
of  white  persons  engaged  in  shoe-making  was  so  large 
as  in  1876. 

There  is  one  feature  of  the  course  of  manufacturing 
industries  in  California  to  which  I have  not  heretofore 
adverted,  and  to  which  I shall  only  refer  now,  as  I shall 
have  occasion  to  dwell  upon  it  at  some  length  at  a later 
moment.  I mean  the  evident  tendency  of  white  labor  to 
displace  that  of  Chinamen.  One  instance  of  a marked 
character  is  afforded  by  the  shoe-trade,  and  the  story 
may  best  be  told  in  the  language  of  a witness  who  ap- 
peared before  the  Congressional  commission.  This  wit- 
ness was  Mr.  William  G.  Buchanan.  His  evidence  is  sig- 
nificant in  more  than  one  direction.  He  testified 

“ Q.  Are  you  a manufacturer  ? A.  I am  superin- 
“ tendent  of  a factory. 

“ Q*  What  establishment  are  you  in  ? A.  Einstein 
“ Brothers. 

“ 0.  Is  that  an  extensive  concern  ? A.  It  is  one  of 
“ the  largest  in  the  city. 

“ Q.  What  do  they  employ  generally  ? A.  All 
“ white  labor. 

“ Q.  Did  they  formerly  employ  Chinese  labor A. 
“ They  did. 

“ Q.  What  led  to  the  change  from  Chinese  labor  ? 
“A.  They  thought  that  they  could  make  shoes  just 
“ about  as  cheap  with  whites  as  with  Chinamen,  and 
“ thought  that  they  would  try  it.  They  started  it  grad- 
“ ually,  and  accordingly  as  it  went  along  they  found  they 
“ were  successful,  and  they  got  rid  of  them  all. 

“ Q.  They  can  make  shoes  as  cheaply  with  white  la- 
“ bor  as  with  Chinese  ? A.  They  are  making  shoes  as 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  332. 


INDUSTRIES  OF  THE  NEEDLE. 


179 


" cheaply  with  white  labor  as  they  were  making  them 
“ with  Chinese  labor. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  there  is  a white 
“ man’s  co-operative  shoe  establishment  ? A.  There  is. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  what  they  receive  on  the  invest- 
“ ment  ? A.  It  is  paying  a good  deal  more  than  bank- 
“ ing  rates. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  how  much  more  ? Do  you  know 
“ whether  it  paid  for  last  year  24  per  cent  ? A.  It  did.” 

In  regard  to  the  manufacture  of  cigars,  the  same  re- 
mark may  be  made  again,  that  our  own  people  were  not 
displaced  by  the  Chinese,  but  that  the  business  was  be- 
gun, practically,  by  the  Chinamen. 

It  is  to  be  said  also,  that  in  spite  of  Chinese  cheap 
labor,  a large  proportion  of  the  cigars  used  in  California 
are  made  in  the  East.  This  means,  simply,  that  the  Chi- 
nese have  not  been  able  to  make  them  more  cheaply 
than  Eastern  manufacturers,  and  that  when  white  men 
choose  to  enter  seriously  into  the  competition,  they  will 
be  able  in  California  to  accomplish  what  the  white  men 
in  the  East  are  doing.  Meanwhile  every  individual  in 
the  State  who  uses  cigars,  gets  his  supply  at  less  cost 
because  of  the  Chinese  manufacturer. 

In  the  industries  of  the  needle  again,  the  same  line  of 
argument  applies.  In  the  earlier  days  the  State  de- 
pended upon  the  East  for  its  clothing,  and  its  under- 
wear, both  for  men  and  for  women.  Later  on,  the  pres- 
ence of  many  of  our  own  people,  able  and  anxious  to 
work  at  home  or  in  shops,  rather  than  to  go  into  the  fields 
or  into  domestic  service,  led  to  the  introduction  of  va- 
rious industries  of  the  needle,  and  these  again  to  the  em- 
ployment of  the  Chinese.  One  would  be  glad  to  know 
that  the  poor  women  of  San  Francisco  have  such  a re- 
source reserved  for  their  labor,  and  would  not  begrudge 
to  them  the  poor  recompense  of  their  tedioMS  toil.  Yet 


180 


CHINESE  LAUNDRIES. 


it  cannot  be  said  that  the  women  of  San  Francisco  are 
driven  very  hard  in  comparison  with  their  sisters  else- 
where. The  test  of  this  is  the  wages  paid  to  them  in 
factories  and  in  domestic  service  In  the  former  they  re- 
ceive six  or  eight  dollars  a week,  in  the  latter  nearly  if 
not  quite  as  much,  and  the  demand  in  the  latter  direction 
is  constant  and  far  in  excess  of  the  supply.  It  is  true, 
moreover,  that  the  Chinese  do  not  by  any  means  take' 
up  all  the  needle-work  of  San  Francisco,  and  it  appears 
quite  certain  that  they  Avill  be  displaced  from  it  as  the 
numbers  of  our  own  people  increase  and  the  organization 
of  this  kind  of  enterprise  proceeds. 

To  what  I said  in  regard  to  the  peculiar  industry  of 
the  Chinese,  laundry  work,  in  the  chapter  on  this  in- 
dustry, I find  it  desirable  to  add  nothing  excepting 
language  used  by  Mr.  Brooks  in  his  testimony  before  the 
Congressional  committee ; — ‘ 

“We  had  no  washer-women  here  formerly,  that  is  to 
“ say  the  class  was  very  small  and  the  expense  of  wash- 
“ing  was  very  high.  All  the  poorer  classes  of  the 
“community  did  their  own  washing.  In  1849  there  were 
“ few  women  here  of  any  kind  at  all.  There  were  some 
“men  engaged  in  washing,  Frenchmen,  I think,  and  I 
“ think  some  of  the  natives.  The  Chinese  did  not  take  the 
“ place  of  any  three  thousand,  or  two  thousand,  or  twelve 
“ hundred,  or  any  other  number  of  washer-women.  They 
“ now  do  the  washing  in  great  part  for  small  house- 
“ keepers,  and  they  reduce  in  that  way  their  expenses  of 
“living  very  greatly.  When-  a man  has  a wife  and  one 
“ child,  he  can  get  along  without  any  servant  at  all  if  he 
“puts  out  the  washing.  If  he  has  a larger  family  than 
“ that,  he  can  get  along  with  one  servant,  if  he  will  put 
“out  his  washing.  If  he  has  his  washing  done  at  home, 
“ he  cannot  get  along  with  that  help.  The  Chinese  laun- 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  927. 


LIVING  EXPENSES. 


181 


“dries  enable  a great  many  mechanics  to  keep  house 
“ pretty  well,  who  would  otherwise  live  in  tenement 
“ houses.” 

I find  it  appropriate  at  this  point  to  advert  to  two 
further  general  facts  ; first,  that  Chinese  industries  have 
undoubtedly  lowered  living  expenses  in  California,  and 
second,  that  there  are  a great  many  industries  into  which 
they  do  not  enter  at  all. 

It  is  a matter  of  course  that  increased  production  of  the 
fruits  of  the  soil  reduces  the  prices  at  which  the  consumer 
may  purchase  them.  In  point  of  fact,  meats  excepted, 
there  is  probably  nothing  of  local  production,  placed  upon 
the  tables  of  the  people  of  San  Francisco,  which  is  not  at 
least  one-half  cheaper  to-day  than  it  was  in  1854  or 
perhaps  in  i860.  This  is  due  not  only  to  cheaper  pro- 
duction, to  which  as  we  have  seen,  the  Chinamen  have 
contributed  in  very  large  measure,  but  also  to  the  cheap- 
ening of  the  profits  of  the  distributing  agents  through 
whose  hands  family  supplies  of  the  sort  must  pass.  And 
here  again  the  presence  of  the  Chinaman  has  made  itself 
felt.  There  is  not  a householder  who  cannot  provide 
himself  daily  with  the  best  vegetables  and  fruits  which 
the  markets  supply,  from  the  Chinese  vendors  who  pass 
his  door  each  morning.  The  same  condition  of  things 
may  be  predicated  not  only  of  San  Francisco,  but  also  of 
all  the  other  cities  and  towns  of  the  State.  The  Chinese 
are  everywhere  as  constant  to  employment  of  this  sort 
as  to  the  greater  industries  in  which  they  have  engaged. 

All  this  may  be  a matter  of  small  concern  to  the 
wealthy,  but  the  difference  must  be  of  moment  to  men 
who  work  for  the  wages  of  labor.  It  is  claimed  in  Cali- 
fornia that  table  supplies  of  local  production  are  cheaper 
and  better  than  elsewhere  in  the  nation.  If  this  is  true, 
and  if  the  fact  is  largely  due  to  the  Chinamen,  it  is  at 
once  evident  that  if  Chinese  competition  has  broken 


182 


INDUSTRIES  NOT  AFFECTED  BY  CHINESE. 


down  in  any  degree  the  wages  of  labor,  their  industries 
have  simultaneously  increased  the  purchasing  power  of 
these  wages  in  a degree  which  may,  and  probably  does, 
more  than  compensate  for  the  fall,  excepting,  if  we  must 
make  any  exception,  in  one  or  two  special  directions  in 
which  for  whatever  reason  the  Chinaman  has  taken  a 
more  active  part. 

The  industries  of  San  Francisco  upon  which  the  Chi- 
nese do  not  enter  are  shown  in  the  following  list  which  I 
have  prepared  from  Mr.  Lessler’s  tables; — 

No.  employed. 

Agricultural  implements 95 

Bag  manufacturers 84 

Bed-comforters 15 

Bolt  and  nut  workers 24 

Boiler  makers 260 

Bell  foundry  and  brass  works 257 

Iron-sheet  manufacturers 24 

Lead  pipes  and  works 26 

Mattresses 78 

Meat  preservers 58 

Mirror  factory  . . . : lO 

Maccaroni  and  vermicelli 34 

Marble  yards 148 

Mucilage 4 

Nickel  platers 18 

Oakum  picking 16 

Organ  builders 14 

Pumps 68 

Paint  works 1 1 

Plumbers •. 325 

Planing  mills 475 

Paper  mills 20 

Provision  packers 34 

Saw  manufacturers 20 


INDUSTRIES  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


183 


Saw  filers 

Soap  manufacturers 

Safe  factories 

Stair  building 

Sugar  refineries. 

Blacksmiths  tools 

Trunks 

Tanneries 

Engravers  tools 

Type  foundry 

Upholsterers 

Wood  turners 

Wire  works 

Barbers 

Blacking 

Belt  factories 

Box  factories,  packing 

“ “ paper 

“ '•  tin 

“ “ fancy 

Beds  and  bedding 

Billiard  factories 

Book  binders 

Bakers 

Coffee  and  spice,  preparation  of 
Cracker,  (biscuit,)  factories  . . . . , 

White-lead  works 

Chair  factories 

Coppersmiths 

Coffin  factories 

Coopers 

Engravers 

File  works 

Foundry  and  iron  works 


No.  employed. 

46 

82 

65 

....  146 

290 

49 

85  ^ 

538 

5 

58 

150 

65 

98 

1,850 

14 

21 

428 

51 

....  21 

8 

919 

35 

200 

800 

88 

130 


60 

46 

276 

62 

35 

1,987 


184 


EMPLOYERS  DESERVE 


No.  employed. 


Flourmills 133 

Plumbers  and  gas  fitters 482 

Gilders 40 

Gold  platers 38 

Horseshoe  nails 16 


The  list  thus  given  embraces  more  than  sixty  different 
industries.  Mr.  Lessler’s  table  indicates  that  many  of 
them  are  in  their  infancy,  or  at  least  that  they  have 
attained  to  no  considerable  development.  But  what  is 
being  done  in  them  is  accomplished  by  workmen  not  of 
Chinese  origin.  The  number  of  such  is  about  12,000. 

There  is  one  other  considerable  department  into  which 
the  Chinese  have  entered — domestic  service  ; but  I allude 
to  it  only  to  pass  it  over.  For  the  evidence  shows  not 
only  that  the  supply  of.  white  domestics  in  California  is 
very  limited,  and  that  wages  are  very  high,  but  also  that 
they  cannot  be  procured  at  all  in  the  farming  districts 
and  in  the  interior  generally.  There  is  no  occasion  for 
complaint  on  the  part  of  this  class.  In  point  of  fact,  the 
agents  of  the  anti-Chinese  party,  who  appeared  as  counsel 
before  the  Congressional  commission,  do  not  appear  to 
have  thought  it  worth  while  to  present  any  grievance  on 
behalf  of  this  class. 

The  facts  and  considerations  presented  in  this  chapter 
indicate  very  conclusively  the  correctness  of  my  propos- 
ition, that  the  Chinese  in  California  have  not  displaced 
laborers  of  our  own  stock.  The  argument  has  not  been 
exhausted  by  any  means.  As  already  intimated,  I shall 
have  more  to  say  bearing  upon  it  in  another  place,  when 
considering  the  prospects  of  immigration  as  affected  by 
the  demand  for  labor. 

For  the  present,  then,  I leave  this  branch  of  the  sub- 
ject, remarking  only,  in  conclusion,  that  in  my  judgment 
the  members  of  the  employing  class  in  California  are 


CONSIDER  A TION. 


185 


entitled  to  great  credit  for  the  liberal  disposition  which 
they  have  shown  toward  their  white  employes,  and  to  be 
sustained  against  an  unreasoning  cry  on  the  part  of  the 
latter ; that  the  laboring  man  himself  should  be  taught 
to  entertain,  if  possible,  broader  views  of  the  relations 
between  capital  and  wages,  and  that  both  employers  and 
employed  should  exercise  not  only  judgment  in  dealing 
with  the  Chinese,  but  an  appreciative  respect  for  their 
rights  as  men,  and  for  the  great  services  which  they  have 
rendered  to  them,  and  to  the  State  and  nation. 


PART  III.— CHAPTER  III. 


OBJECTIONS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  ADVANCED  AGAINST 
THE  CHINESE.  THAT  THEY  SEND  MONEY 
OUT  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

The  statement  that  the  Chinese  send  considerable  sums  out  of  the 
country  unfounded.  The  views  of  the  committee  of  1862.  When 
earnings  are  large  expenses  are  large.  Laborers  seldom  make  any 
savings.  The  Chinese  not  an  exception  to  the  rule.  The  lower 
scale  of  wages  in  China  does  not  imply  that  the  Chinese,  in  a large 
sense,  are  thrifty.  Their  needs  in  California  different  from  those  at 
home.  Cost  of  their  clothing  compared.  The  Chinamen  are  epi- 
cures. Testimony  of  witnesses.  Chinese  restaurants  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. Absence  of  domestic  and  other  restraints.  Emplo3'ment  not 
continuous.  The  gross  earnings  of  the  Chinese  in  California.  The 
amount  expended  by  them.  Productive  nature  of  their  labor.  When 
not  productive  it  is  still  of  value  to  the  State  in  an  economical  point  of 
■view.  General  outflow  of  American  wealth  for  the  products  of  other 
regions.  Unnecessary  sensitiveness  in  regard  to  the  remittances  of 
the  Chinese. 

A further  objection  urged  against  the  Chinese  in  Cali- 
fornia is  that  they  draw  from  the  mountains  great  quan- 
tities of  the  precious  metals  and  from  the  employers  of 
labor,  or  consumers,  a liberal  recompense  for  their  services, 
and  that,  living  with  mysterious  cheapness,  they  are  ena- 
bled to  send  out  of  the  country  a large  part  of  the  wealth 
which  pours  into  their  hands.  Other  fallacious  state- 
ments are  thus  put  afloat  which  are  spread  zealously  over 
the  whole  country,  and  come  to  have  great  weight  in 
the  minds  of  the  people  at  large  and  even  among  legis- 
lators. 

I have  already  made  some  brief  remarks  on  this  sub- 
ject. These  I shall  repeat  and  expand  in  this  chapter  so 
far  as  may  appear  necessary  to  correct  the  misapprehen- 


EXPENSES  FOLLOW  EARNLNGS. 


187 


sion  in  the  minds  of  those  persons  who  are  disposed  to 
consider  the  facts  and  to  reach  just  conclusions. 

The  report  of  the  committee  of  1862  presents,  as  I 
believe,  the  right  view  of  the  question.  It  showed  that 
the  Chinese  then  in  the  State,  numbering  by  their  esti- 
mate 48,391  persons,  of  whom  they  believed  30,000  were 
engaged  in  the  mines,  expended  annually  in  payments  to 
white  men  for  services  rendered  or  materials  supplied  to 
them,  about  fourteen  millions  of  dollars.  This  is  possi- 
bly a large  estimate  of  their  expenditures.  The  official 
census  of  i860  gives  the  Chinese  population  of  the  State 
in  i860  as  34,993.  If  30,000  of  these  were  in  the  mines 
and  for  each  and  every  day  in  the  year  each  one  was 
earning  $2,  the  aggregate  could  be  $21,900,000,  a sum 
far  in  excess  of  their  probable  earnings.  But  reduce  the 
earnings  as  we  may,  or  reduce  the  estimate  of  their  ex- 
penditures as  we  may,  we  cannot  do  away  with  the  sig- 
nification of  the  table  of  expenditures  presented  by  the 
committee.  It  is  a matter  of  course  that  if  earnings 
were  high,  expenses  were  high,  and  that  in  the  measure 
largely  of  the  success  of  the  Chinese  as  miners,  their  out- 
lays, whether  for  ordinary  supplies  or  for  personal  grati- 
fication and  enjoyment  were  high. 

The  rule  among  laborers  is  that  they  expend  all  their 
earnings  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  moment.  The 
term  laborers,  may  be  applied  to  those  who  work  with 
their  hands  for  wages,  and  as  well  to  such  as  work  in 
mines,  such  as  the  placer  washings  of  California.  It  is 
true  that  the  latter  are  not  working  for  wages  but  they 
are  expending  their  energies  to  obtain  results  for  the  day. 
In  this,  their  efforts  are  not  like  those  of  the  farmer  who 
is  constantly  adding  to  the  value  of  his  farm,  by  sub- 
jecting it  to  tillage,  and  by  increasing  his  stock  of 
buildings,  of  animals,  etc.,  or  the  tradesman  who  is  ex- 
tending his  custom.  , In  point  of  fact,  the  rule  that  men 


188 


UmrARRIED  MEN  NOT  THRIFTY. 


who  work  for  wages  do  not  accumulate,  is  applicable  to 
persons  of  higher  grade  than  the  manual  laborer.  It  may 
be  possible  for  the  foreman  in  a factory,  the  clerk  in  a 
mercantile  house,  or  the  government  employe  to  grow 
rich  by  savings,  but  the  cases  in  which  this  happens  are 
very  rare  indeed. 

There  is  no  possible  reason  why  we  should  treat  the 
Chinese  in  California  as  exceptions  to  the  rule.  They 
have  been  pictured  as  a very  peculiar  race,  in  a great 
variety  of  ways.  A certain  mystery  has  been  thrown 
around  them.  People  have  been  taught  that  they  pos- 
sess, or  are  possessed  by,  all  kinds  of  abominable  vices. 
Yet  they  have  been  credited  with  one  great  virtue,  that  of 
thrift,  a virtue  which  necessarily  implies  the  possession  of 
many  others.  We  are  told  in  particular,  that  they  live 
upon  a pittance  and  that  they  send  their  savings  home, 
to  provide  for  their  relatives,  or  for  their  own  comfort 
when  they  finally  retire  from  their  labors  among  us. 
But  in  point  of  fact,  they  are  men  with  the  ordinary  ne- 
cessities, appetites  and  weaknesses.  They  are,  perhaps, 
more  dutiful  to  parents  than  people  of  our  own  stock, 
but  this  certainly  does  not  increase  their  opportunities  to 
economize. 

That  the  Chinese  in  California  are  not  subject  at  the 
moment  to  all  the  necessities  of  our  own  people  is  quite 
true.  Few  of  them  have  families,  and  they  escape  in  this 
way  a multitude  of  expenses ; but  neither  do  they  re- 
ceive as  large  wages,  and  it  is  well  known  that  the 
unmarried  man  in  the  lower  grades  of  life,  is  less  thrifty 
as  a rule  than  the  one  who  has  a family. 

That  they  come  from  a stock  Avhich  is  used  to  pri- 
vations, and  who  live  very  cheaply  is  also  true,  but  the 
fact  that  they  live  cheaply  at  home  may  imply  an  absence 
of  thrift,  and  of  the  capacity  for  enterprise  rather  than 
necessities  of  an  over-powering  nature.  The  countries  of 


IV-aNTS  of  CHINESE  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


189 


Europe,  where  population  is  the  most  dense,  are  some- 
times the  most  prosperous.  In  point  of  fact,  it  seems 
scarcely  possible  to  over  populate  a country  when  the 
habit  of  enterprise  is  strong  and  labor  is  made  productive 
of  its  best  results  by  right  systems  of  government  and  of 
industry.  Without  entering  upon  this  question,  I may 
say  that  the  actual  needs  of  a Chinaman  are  very  differ- 
ent in  California  from  those  which  attend  him  in  his 
natural  home.  The  district  from  which  he  comes  borders 
upon  the  tropics,  and  the  climate  is  so  mild  throughout 
the  year  that  a jacket  and  pantaloons  of  cotton  cloth 
will  serve  all  purposes  for  nearly  the  whole  year,  and  one 
or  two  extra  garments  of  the  same  sort  only  are  needed 
at  the  coldest  season.  His  hat  is  pleated  roughly  with 
straw,  and  his  foot-gear  are  sandals  made  of  the  same 
material.  Probably  his  whole  wear  for  a year  could  be 
purchased  for  five  dollars.  But  when  the  same  man 
stands  upon  the  soil  of  California,  his  work,  the  climate, 
and  the  customs  of  the  country  impose  other  necessities 
upon  him.  He  is  soon  found  dressed  in  coat  and  panta- 
loons of  woolen  material,  with  underwear  of  cotton^ 
He  wears  a felt  hat,  and  the  leather  boots  or  shoes  of  the 
country.  His  cut  of  dress  remains  peculiar  according  to 
our  ideas,  although  he  makes  an  effort  to  assimilate  it  to 
our  own.  As  a rule  it  has  seemed  to  me  more  comfort- 
able, and  of  better  goods  than  the  dress  of  the  white 
laborer. 

While  this  change  of  dress  imposes  serious  expense 
upon  him,  his  boots  alone  in  America  costing  each  year 
from  twice  to  four  times  as  much  as  his  whole  gear  in 
China,  his  food  is  also  more  expensive.  He  labors  in  his 
native  fields  in  an  easy  going,  quiet  way,  without  much 
mental  or  physical  wear  and  tear.  But  in  California  the 
situation  is  different.  He  has  far  less  physical  strength 
and  energy  than  the  white  man,  and  if  he  is  to  compete 


190 


EXTRAVAGANT  TASTER  OF  CHINESE. 


Avith  him  he  must  do  so  in  virtue  of  steady  application  to 
his  task.  It  happens  in  this  Avay  that  the  plain  meal  of 
rice,  which  at  best  costs  twice  as  much  in  California  as  it 
does  in  China,  must  be  supplemented  by  a more  nour- 
ishing diet,  of  Avhich  meats  form  a great  part. 

It  Avould  appear  too  that  the  same  refinement  of  taste 
which  induces  him  to  don,  when  his  pieans  will  permit, 
whether  at  home  or  abroad,  clothing  of  a more  or  less 
beautiful  kind,  leads  him  in  California  to  indulge,  as 
he  does  at  home,  in  many  pleasures  of  the  palate.  I 
have  fallen  upon  a statement  somewhere  in  the  great 
mass  of  evidence  taken  before  the  Congressional  com- 
mittee, but  to  which  I cannot  refer  at  the  moment,  that 
the  food  of  the  Chinese  miner  in  California  is  more 
varied  than  that  of  the  American.  Colonel  Hollister 
said  that  “ they  use  meats  and  vegetables  in  about  the 
“ same  proportions  as  my  own  family.”  ' Another  wit- 
ness, an  officer  of  police,  stated  that  there  were  many 
Chinese  restaurants  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  “well 
“ supplied  with  a variety  of  food,  with  champagne  and 
“ other  wines,  and  in  which  you  can  have  anything  you 
“call  for.”^  Still  another,  Mr.  John  W.  Dwinelle,  de- 
clared that  in  his  belief  “ the  Chinaman  is  so  good  a 
“ cook  because  he  has  got  a sweet  tooth  of  his  own.  The 
“ Chinamen  are  very  fond  of  pig,  and  of  duck,  and  on 
“ Sundays  when  Ave  do  not  employ  them  on  account  of 
“our  religious  principles,  they  live  very  Avell  I am  told.”^ 
Mr.  Gibson  describes  a Chinese  restaurant; — “A  three- 
“ storied  building,  Avith  balconies  in  the  second  and  third 
“ stories,  gaudily  painted  Avith  deep  green,  and  trimmed 
“Avith  red,  and  a profusion  of  Chinese  lanterns  helping 
“ to  give  the  place  a peculiarly  Oriental  appearance,”  and 
says  that  “ like  other  Californians  many  of  the  Chinese 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  795.  ® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1077. 

^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  226. 


EXPENSES  OF  THE  CHINESE. 


191 


“ live  in  restaurants.  Plain  living  in  a common  restau- 
“ rant  can  be  had  by  a Chinaman  for  eight  or  ten  dollars 
“ a month.  Good  living  will  cost  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
“ dollars,  according  to  the  taste  and  ability  of  the 
“ boarder.” ' 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  Chinese  in  California 
as  a rule  have  left  their  homes  at  an  early  age,  that  is  to 
say  before  the  usual  time  among  them  for  contracting 
marriages,  and  that  they  stand  upon  our  soil  free  from 
the  restraints  of  family  discipline  and  affection.  The 
patriarchal  system  of  China  and  the  practice  of  early 
marriages  conduce  in  a very  large  measure  to  the  sta- 
bility of  the  State  and  to  the  moral  well-being  of  the  in- 
dividual. But  these  controlling  influences  do  not  follow 
the  Chinese  to  our  country,  and  as  a consequence  he  is 
a less  careful  man  than  he  would  otherwise  be  in  all  his 
habits.  The  indulgence  of  his  tendencies  thus  indicated, 
cause  a drain  upon  his  resources  which  beyond  doubt 
limits  considerably  the  amount  of  his  eventual  savings. 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  again,  that  many  of  the  Chinese 
do  not  get  constant  employment.  There  is  a demand 
for  them  at  the  harvest  season,  but  except  at  this  season 
their  opportunities  among  farmers  are  limited.  Through- 
out the  whole  mining  region  the  gradual  working  out  of 
placer  deposits,  is  leaving  them  less  room  for  enterprise. 
In  the  towns  and  cities  they  must  take  their  chances  in 
the  keener  competition  occasioned  by  the  increase  in  the 
number  of  the  general  population  and  of  their  own  kind. 

I have  supposed  that  very  nearly  all  of  the  Chinese  in 
California  are  workers,  whether  for  our  people  or  among 
themselves,  and  at  the  present  moment  it  is  possible  that 
they  are  earning  an  average  of  sixty  cents  a day  for  three 
hundred  days  in  a year.  This  may  be  too  high  an  esti- 
mate or  too  low.  At  best  it  is  only  an  estimate.  Taking 

’ Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  69. 


192 


ECONOMICAL  CONSIDERATIONS. 


it  as  such,  the  individual  Chinaman  in  California  would 
earn  annually  $i8o.  I have  supposed  that  out  of  this 
sum  he  would  remit  to  China,  or  save,  lo  per  cent,  of  the 
whole,  say  $i8  a year.  But  let  it  be  granted,  for  the  sake 
of  the  argument,  that  the  saving  is  20  per  cent,  instead 
of  10.  We  have  then  the  gross  earnings  of  the  Chinese 

in  the  State  annually 75,000 x $i8o=$i3, 500,000 

and  his  savings 75,000x36=  2,700,000 

The  difference  between  these  amounts  is. . . .$10,800,000 
and  this  sum,  at  any  rate,  we  may  expect  to  remain  in 
the  country. 

Whence,  now,  is  this  money  derived.  Certainly  it 
comes  in  part  from  the  mining  interests,  and  so  far  as  it 
is  drawn  from  this  source,  it  may  be  said  that  it  would 
not  be  brought  into  e.xistence  at  all  as  tangible  wealth  if 
it  were  not  for  the  industry  of  the  given  class.  It  comes 
again  from  the  farmers,  and  the  fruit  growers,  who  are 
able  to  pay  over  so  much  out  of  the  returns  received  from 
their  lands,  because  these  returns  yield  to  them  not  only 
the  given  amount  of  money,  but  beyond  this  enough  more 
to  meet  other  expenses,  and  to  leave  a margin  of  profit. 
It  comes  again  from  the  builders  of  railroads,  the  re- 
claimers of  swamp  lands,  and  manufacturers ; and  yet 
again,  from  enterprises  in  agriculture  and  in  manufactur- 
ing, managed  by  the  Chinese  and  of  which  they  are  the 
proprietors.  All  these  industries  belong  directly  and 
positively  to  the  class  of  productive  industries,  and  a 
large  measure  of  the  produce  remains  in  the  country, 
enabling  the  general  population  to  live  in  circumstances 
of  increased  ease,  or  passes  out  of  the  country  to  pay 
the  accounts  created  by  their  importation  of  articles  of 
utility,  of  beauty,  or  of  personal  gratification.  It  is  wealth 
which  brings  wealth,  and  it  is  wealth  which  would  not 
exist  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  labors  of  the  Chinese. 


ECONOMICAL  CONSIDERATIONS. 


193 


The  pecuniary  result  to  the  State,  to  draw  a parallel 
which  will  enable  one  to  grasp  my  idea  more  clearly,  is 
like  that  which  comes  to  the  farmer  who  goes  outside 
of  the  members  of  his  own  family  in  working  his  lands. 
It  is  well  for  him  if  his  family  is  large  enough  and  strong 
enough  to  cultivate  his  fields,  but  if  not,  and  he  has  all 
the  natural  and  artificial  means  required  excepting  labor, 
he  may,  and  generally  does,  find  it  to  his  advantage  to 
engage  laborers  outside,  although  he  has  to  pay  to  them 
wages  representing  a portion  of  his  produce.  The  ad- 
vantages to  the  State,  however,  are  far  greater  than  to  the 
farmer,  because  the  outgo  from  the  State  is  only  a frac- 
tional part  of  the  money  which  is  paid  to  the  laboring 
class. 

It  is  true  that  a part  of  the  labor  of  the  Chinese  in  Cal- 
ifornia is  not  what  political  economists  would  style  as 
directly  productive.  Some  of  it  is  rendered  to  individ- 
uals and  families  as  personal  service  ; it  yields  nothing 
that  did  not  exist  before.  Yet  this  labor  may  still  be 
indirectly  productive  as  enabling  the  individual,  or  the 
family  or  some  member  of  it,  to  labor  in  a productive 
way,  or  to  labor  more  efficiently  than  he  could  do  other- 
wise. But  when  it  is  not  productive  in  any  ordinary 
sense,  it  may  still  be  useful  and  a matter  of  gain  to  the 
community.  The  object  of  production  is  to  serve  the 
wants  and  the  convenience  of  the  several  members  of 
the  community,  and  among  these  wants  are  some  which 
require  outlays  of  labor  from  which,  while  no  production 
results,  a great  deal  of  convenience  and  comfort  are  de- 
rived. It  is  to  be  presumed  that  this  convenience  and 
comfort  would  demand  services  in  any  case,  and  that  the 
services  given  by  the  Chinese  are  valuable  just  in  the 
measure  for  which  they  are  commanded. 

I am  aware  that  the  political  economists  of  America 
are  very  sensitive  in  regard  to  the  outflow  of  wealth,  re- 

M 


194 


THE  OUTFLOW  OF  MONEY. 


garding  it  often  as  a loss  to  the  country,  for  which  no 
resultant  advantages  can  compensate.  I am  not  alto- 
gether of  this  opinion,  although  I adhere  to  the  propo- 
sition that  the  system  of  protection  to  home  indus- 
tries is  required  by  our  immediate  circumstances.  But 
a perfect  application  or  result  of  the  system  has  not 
been  obtained  by  us,  and  never  can  be.  Our  money 
does  and  will  continue  to  go  out  of  the  country,  to 
pay  for  a thousand  and  one  articles  which  we  do  not 
produce  so  well  as  they  are  produced  abroad,  or  which 
we  do  not  produce  at  all.  A considerable  part  of 
our  national  bonds  are  held  abroad,  and  we  must  pay 
the  interest  every  year.  Even  the  money  of  the  poor 
man  goes  out  to  pay  for  the  tea,  the  coffee,  and  the  sugar 
which  he  consumes. 

Why  then  should  so  much  stress  be  laid  upon  the 
paltry  amount  which  the  Chinese  take  away  from  our 
shores.  It  is  not  large  in  the  aggregate.  It  is  not  a 
considerable  part  of  the  wealth  which  they  create.  It  is 
an  incident  of  their  employment,  and  we  employ  them 
not  because  they  demand  our  employment,  but  because 
it  is  of  advantage  to  us  to  secure  their  services.  To  be 
entirely  plain,  we  have  had  ten  talents  given  to  us,  and 
it  is  our  duty  to  use  them  in  such  manner  as  to  increase 
the  number,  and  we  do  precisely  that  in  employing  the 
much  dreaded  “ Mongolian.” 


PART  III.— CHAPTER  IV. 


OBJECTIOTNS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  ADVANCED  AGAINST 
THE  CHINESE.  THAT  THEY  ARE  A VICIOUS  PEOPLE. 

The  disposition  to  be  censorious  criticised.  Men  are  actuated  by  good 
motives.  Experience  among  different  nationalities.  Race  prejudices. 
Tendency  of  the  laws.  Political  considerations.  The  Chinese  sys- 
tem of  ethics.  Charts  of  the  ethics  of  the  Chinese.  Confucian  mor- 
als. The  moral  faculties.  The  cardinal  virtues.  Self-examination 
among  the  Chinese.  The  influence  of  the  Confucian  morals  upon  the 
nation.  How  it  is  exhibited  among  the  Chinese  in  California.  Char- 
ity for  the  failures  of  the  Chinese.  Habits  of  Chinese  immigrants. 
Testimony  of  Mr.  Babcock,  Mr.  Brier,  Mr.  Colton,  Judge  Heyden- 
feldt,  Mr.  Loomis,  Mr.  Sneath,  Mr.  Brown,  Judge  Campbell,  and  Mr. 
Cooledge.  Christianity  among  immigrants.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Deal, 
Mr.  Francis,  and  Mr.  Shearer.  The  witnesses  before  the  Congres- 
sional committee  favorable  to  the  Chinese  were  men  of  a high  grade  of 
intelligence  and  respectability.  The  Chinese  a peaceable  and  easily 
governed  people.  Their  vices  less  dangerous  than  those  of  white 
men.  Statistics  of  Californian  penal  institutions,  and  hospitals.  The 
results  shown  favorable  to  the  Chinese. 

In  dealing  with  the  declarations  so  often  presented  to 
the  world  by  the  anti-Chinese  party  in  California  that 
the  Chinese  are  a vicious  race  and  that  they  have  trans- 
ferred to  our  shores  some  of  the  worst  forms  of  their 
wickedness,  I must  confess  at  the  outset  that  my  habit 
of  mind  has  not  been  such  as  to  lead  me  to  dwell  upon 
the  defects  of  my  neighbors  or  the  general  depravity  of 
my  fellow  beings.  I have  striven  always  to  indulge  in 
that  broad  charity  which  leads  one  to  search  out  what  is 
really  good  among  his  fellow  men,  and  to  seek  an  ex- 
planation of  vice  in  faults  of  education,  in  surrounding 
circumstances  and,  more  than  all,  in  failures  of  judgment 
growing  out  of  a disordered  or  imperfect  mental  organi- 


196 


EXPERIENCE  AND  CHARITY. 


zation.  I know  very  well  that  it  is  necessary  for  the 
welfare  of  society  that  the  lines  between  virtue  and  vice 
should  be  clearly  drawn  and  that  wrong-  doing  should  be 
punished.  I know  quite  as  well,  however,  if  I have  not 
deceived  myself,  that  there  are  many  minds  which  are 
more  or  less  incapable  of  distinguishing  between  truth 
and  falsehood,  right  and  wrong,  and  that  the  defect  is 
not  one  of  temper  or  heart,  so  to  speak,  but  of  the  brain. 
If  this  is  true  how  great  charity  should  we  observe  toward 
our  fellow-men,  more  especially  when  we  remember  that 
defects  of  education  and  extraordinary  temptations, 
affect  more  frequently  the  classes  among  whom  defects 
of  mental  organization  are  oftenest  found. 

While  my  natural  bent  of  mind  has  tended  to  make 
me  reflect  somewhat  seriously  on  the  subject,  my  oppor- 
tunities for  observation  have  been,  as  I believe,  more 
than  usually  extended.  My  avocation  for  very  many 
years  was  that  of  a magistrate  dealing  with  a multitude 
of  matters  occurring  at  a leading  sea-port  of  the  world, 
and  affecting  all  grades  of  society  and  persons  of  all 
nationalities.  If  my  reflections  have  led  me  under  these 
circumstances  to  adhere  more  rigidly  to  my  theories, 
and  in  the  course  of  years  to  recognize  the  merit  of  the 
broad  proposition  that  the  common  Creator  has  not 
made  his  creatures  radically  different  in  quality  of  brain 
or  in  disposition  to  serve  the  purpose  of  their  creation, 
that  all  are  actuated  under  normal  conditions  by  good 
motives,  and  that  similar  disorders  of  the  brain  or  mis- 
fortunes of  circumstances  affect  all  in  the  same  way,  I 
have  at  least  the  certainties  of  my  experience  to 
lead  me  to  a more  perfect  trust  in  my  convictions. 

I ask  my  readers  to  dwell  a moment  upon  this  part  of 
my  remarks.  There  are  some  among  them  doubtless 
who  have  not  been  brought  into  almost  daily  contact 
with  men  of  all  classes,  and  there  are  others  who  know  a 


RACE  PREJUDICES. 


197 


few  individuals  only  of  this  race,  or  that  race,  among  all 
the  various  races  which  crowd  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
Many  hear  of  vice  only  through  newspaper  reports.  If 
my  experiences  have  been  different,  and  if  I have  still 
come  to  have  a more  kindly  appreciation  of  human 
nature,  the  result  may  deserve  consideration.  Let  us 
take  at  any  rate  the  case  of  race  and  class  prejudices. 
Can  there  be  a doubt  in  the  mind  of  any  candid  reader 
of  history  that  the  depreciation  of  the  French  by  the 
English,  which  one  has  observed  running  through  the 
literature  of  the  last  century,  was  extreme  and  in  a great 
measure  unfounded  ? Did  not  the  martial  courage  of  the 
Turks  in  the  recent  war  with  Russia  surprise  those  who 
had  thought  of  them  as  an  Asiatic  people  enfeebled 
by  climate  and  by  national  vices  ? Was  not  our  civil  war  a 
revelation  to  us  of  the  capacity  of  the  Southern  people 
for  heroic  effort,  and  to  them  of  Northern  devotion  to 
something  more  worthy  than  the  loom  and  the  ledger } 
What  man  of  the  North  or  of  the  South  has  not  taken  a 
more  liberal  view  of  the  rights  of  the  Negro,  and  of  his 
capacity  to  take  part  in  government,  since  he  was  en- 
franchised ? Observe  again  the  course  of  legislation  as 
expressing  the  conception  of  vice  among  the  nations. 
The  progress  of  science  has  taught  that  there  is  such  a 
thing,  so  to  speak,  as  crime  comm'itted,  in  which  no  re- 
sponsibility whatever  attaches  to  the  individual.  It  is 
the  boast  of  our  own  country  that  we  have  gone  further 
in  the  determination  of  the  question  of  responsibility  in 
mental  disease  than  any  other  people.  Certain  great 
principles  have  been  laid  down  by  our  legislators  and 
our  judges  in  this  respect,  and  yet  what  legislation  can 
define  the  border  land  between  disease  and  sanity. 
While  we  have  progressed  in  this  way,  how  far  have  we 
advanced  in  our  conceptions  of  the  treatment  of  crime 
and  criminals  ? Broadly  stated,  the  object  of  punish- 


198 


NO  RACE  FREE  FROM  FAULT. 


ment  now,  in  large  measure,  is  the  reform  of  the  crim- 
inal, and  the  word  Reformatory  has  been  made  to  apply 
to  a class  of  penal  institutions  which  have  only  come 
into  existence  of  late  years.  * 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  treat  in  one  chapter  the 
mental  and  moral  peculiarities  and  delinquencies  of  the 
Chinese,  and  to  trace  these  back  to  their  sources  in 
national  education,  and  polity,  and  in  the  circumstances 
of  life  prevailing  in  China.  It  would  be  a work  of  less 
difficulty  to  trace  out  the  causes  of  the  mental  and  moral 
peculiarities,  not  to  say  delinquencies,  of  the  American 
people.  He  would  be  an  inconsiderate  man  who  would 
deny  that  there  are  failures  among  the  Chinese,  and  I 
may  be  so  bold  as  to  say  as  much  of  the  person  who 
would  hold  up  our  own  people  as  models  of  virtue,  public 
and  private.  I shall  not  attempt  the  task,  neither  shall 
I attempt  to  show  that  my  ways  of  thinking  aboufthe 
question  of  vice  are  not  singular.  Those  whose  studies 
or  experience  have  led  them  to  reflect  on  the  subject, 
will  appreciate  my  position,  and  those  who  have  not 
been  led  to  such  reflections  must  be  taught  in  other  ways 
than  by  my  arguments.  Yet,  one  may  claim  that  a 
broad  charity  is  called  for  in  the  discussion  of  a subject 
in  which  class  and  race  prejudices,  and  the  interests  of 
politicians  have  been  the  active  agents.  It  is  not  be- 
coming in  any  one  to  be  dogmatic,  but  I state  with 
emphasis,  that  such  prejudices  and  such  interests  have 
occasioned  much  of  the  denunciation  of  the  Chinese  in 
California,  and  with  this  preamble  I pass  on  to  deal  with 
the  question  in  a more  direct  manner. 

It  is  the  fashion  ot  people  who  condemn  the  Chinese 
for  viciousness  to  say,  with  an  appearance,  and  doubtless 
the  impulse,  of  charity,  that  they  are  not  Christians,  that 
they  have  not  been  taught  to  revere  one  God,  and  to 
determine  their  methods  of  life  by  the  precepts  of  re- 


THE  ETHICS  OE  THE  CHINESE. 


199 


vealed  religion.  This  is  to  be  admitted  without  reserva- 
tion. I know  no  other  sentiment  which  can  supply  the 
place  of  religion,  and  I know  no  system  of  religion  which 
can  be  compared  with  our  own.  It  is  nevertheless  true, 
that  personal  and  civic  virtues  of  an  exalted  sort  may 
exist  where  the  faith  of  Christ  is  unknown,  and  that  a 
system  of  morals  of  a high  order  may  be  arrived  at  and 
taught  in  the  absence  of  revealed  religion. 

If  one  stops  but  a moment  to  reflect  upon  the  facts 
that  the  empire  of  China  is  populous  beyond  the  measure 
of  any  other  nation,  and  that  it  has  had  a settled  govern- 
ment, and  retained  its  autonomy  for  a longer  period  than 
any  other  nation,  he  will  be  ready  to  believe  that  her 
rulers  and  public  men  have  not  been  destitute  of 
capacity  nor  of  virtue,  and  that  her  people  have  not 
been,  to  say  the  least,  more  vicious  than  other  peoples. 
Continuity  of  national  existence  and  of  government  is 
an  argument  in  favor  of  a people  and  of  their  system, 
which  no  sophistry  can  condemn. 

It  would  not  serve  my  purpose  here  to  describe  the 
Chinese  system  of  government,  but  I may  justly  call 
attention  to  their  system  of  morals.  In  doing  this,  it 
would  be  easy  to  present  its  leading  features  in  my  own 
language,  or  in  that  of  those  who  have  studied  it  more 
closely,  and  with  greater  opportunities,  than  I have  done. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  do  either,  because,  fortunately,  the 
whole  system  may  be  presented  in  concrete  form  from 
a Chinese  source.  I refer  to  a series  of  charts’  exhibiting 
the  ethical  philosophy  of  the  Chinese,  translations  of 
which  have  been  given  to  the  world  by  Dr.  Martin  of  the 
Peking  University.’  At  the  risk  of  seeming  to  extend 
• my  writing  to  an  undue  length,  I reproduce  these  trans- 
lations here. 


/i7n]jn  Papers,  p.  163. 


200 


ETHICS 


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Part  III.— A Chart  of  Moral  Excellence.  The  two  roads  of  virtue  and  vice  are  dearly  treated  in 

the  above  chart,  but  as  the  virtues  are  not  easy  to 
practice,  I add  a chart  of  moral  excellence. 

Momentarily  keep  it  in  mind.  I Tre7nblingly  hold  it  fast. 


202 


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204 


THE  ETHICS  OF  THE  CHINESE. 


In  the  essay  with  which  Dr.  Martin  has  published  these 
charts,  he  says  that  their  author  is  unknown,  but  that  “the 
“ want  of  a name  detracts  nothing  from  their  value.  The 
“author  has  no  merit  beyond  the  presentation  of  the 
“subject  in  a tabular  view.  Of  the  ethical  system  so 
“ exhibited,  he  originated  nothing  ; and  the  popularity  of 
“ his  work  is  due  mainly  to  the  fact  that  it  is  regarded 
“ as  a faithful  synopsis  of  the  Confucian  morals.” 

Part  I,  as  Dr.  Martin  continues,  is  “ an  epitome  of  the 
“ ‘ Takio,’  the  most  admired  production  of  their  great  phil- 
“ osopher,  and  prized  so  highly  for  the  elegance  of  its 
“style  and  the  depth  of  its  wisdom,  that  it  may  be  often 
“ seen  inscribed  in  letters  of  gold  and  suspended  as  an 
“ ornamental  tablet  in  the  mansions  of  the  rich.” 

Part  II,  according  to  our  author,  “is  chiefly  interesting 
“for  the  views  it  presents  of  the  conditions  of  human 
“nature.  It  is  not  a map  of  the  moral  faculties,  but  a 
“ delineation  of  the  two  ways  which  invite  the  footsteps 
“ of  evciy  human  pilgrim.  On  the  one  hand  are  traced 
“the  virtues  that  conduce  to  happiness:  on  the  other 
“ the  vices  that  lead  to  misery.  Over  the  former  is  writ- 
“ ten  Tao-sin,  ‘Wisdom  Heart,’  and  over  the  latter,  Jin- 
“sin,  ‘Human  Heart,’  as  descriptive  of  the  dispositions 
“from  which  they  respectively  proceed.  These  terms, 
“with  the  two  sentences  of  the  chart  in  which  they  oc- 
“ cur,  are  found  in  the  Shu-king,  one  of  the  oldest  of  the 
“sacred  books,  and  are  there  ascribed  to  the  Emperor 
“ Shun,  who  filled  the  throne  about  B.  C.  2,100.  Quaint 
“and  ill-defined,  they  have  been  in  use  through  this  long 
“ period,  as  a simple  expression  for  an  obvious  truth — 
“ recording  as  the  result  of  a nation’s  experience,  that 
“ to  err  is  human.” 

Part  HI,  our  author  proceeds,  “presents us  with  good- 
“ ness  in  all  its  forms  known  to  the  Chinese.  It  is  chiefly 
“ remarkable  for  its  grouping — the  entire  domain  being 


THE  CARDINAL  VIRTUES. 


205 


“ divided  into  five  families,  each  ranged  under  a parent 
“ virtue.  The  Greeks  and  Romans  reckoned  four  cardi- 
“nal  virtues,  but  a difference  in  the  mode  of  division, 

“ implies  no  incompleteness  in  the  treatment  of  the  sub- 
“ject.  The  Chinese  do  not,  because  they  count  only 
“ twelve  hours  in  the  day  instead  of  twenty-four,  preter- 
“mit  any  portion  of  the  time  ; neither  when  they  num- 
“ ber  twenty-eight  signs  in  the  zodiac,  instead  of  twelve, 
“do  they  assign  an  undue  length  to  the  starry  girdle 
“ of  the  heavens.  The  matter  is  altogether  arbitrary. 

“ Cicero  makes  four  virtues  cover  the  whole  ground 
“which  the  Chinese  moralist  refers  to  five. 

“ But  while,  in  a formal  treatise,  definition  and  expla-  • 
“ nation  may  supply  the  defects  of  nomenclature  or  ar- 
“rangement,  the  terms  of  a moral  class,  like  that  of  the 
“cardinal  virtues,  are  not  without  effect  on  the  popular 
“mind.  In  this  respect  the  Chinese  have  the  advant- 
“age.  Theirs  are,  Jin,  E.,  Che,  Sin,  Le — Benevolence, 
“Justice,  Wisdom,  Good-faith,  Politeness.  Those  of 
“Plato  and  Tully  are.  Justice,  Prudence,  Fortitude  and 
“Temperance.  In  comparing  these  Prudence  and  Wis- 
“dom  may"  be  taken  as  identical,  though  the  former 
“appears  to  be  rather  more  circumscribed  in  its  sphere 
“and  tinged  with  the  idea  of  self-interest.  Temperance 
“and  Politeness  are  also  identical,  the  Latin  term,  con- 
“ templating  man  as  an  individual  and  the  Chinese 
“regarding  him  as  a member  of  society.  The  former, 

“ Cicero  defines  as  ro  Ttpenov,  and  a sense  of  propriety, 
“or  love  of  order,  is  precisely  the  meaning  which  the 
“ Chinese  give  to  the  latter.  In  the  European  code,  the 
“prominence  given  to  Fortitude  is  characteristic  of  a 
“ martial  people,  among  whom  at  an  earlier  period,  under 
“the  name  of  apert],  it  usurped  the  entire  realm  of 
“virtue.  In  the  progress  of  society  it  was  compelled  to 
“ yield  the  throne  to  Justice,  and  accept  the  place  of  a 


206 


BENEVOLENCE  AND  GOOD-FAITH. 


“ vassal,  both  Greek  and  Latin  moralists,  asserting  that 
“ no  degree  of  courage  which  is  not  exerted  in  a moral 
“cause,  is  worthy  of  a better  appellation  than  that  of 
“audacity.  They  erred,  therefore,*in  giving  it  the  posi- 
“ tion  of  a cardinal  virtue  ; and  the  Chinese  have  exhib- 
“ ited  more  discrimination  by  placing  it  in  the  retinue  of 
“Justice.  They  describe  it  by  two  \vords,  Chih  and 
“Yung.  Connected  Avith  the  former  and  explaining  its 
“ idea,  Ave  read  the  precept,  ‘ When  you  fail,  seek  help  in 
“ ‘ yourself ; stand  firm  to  your  post,  and  let  no  vague 
“ ‘ desires  draAV  you  from  it.’  Appended  to  the  latter  is 
“ the  injunction,  ‘ When  you  see  the  right,  do  it ; AA'hen 
“‘you  knoAv  a fault  correct  it.  Neither  yield  to  excess, 
“‘if  rich,  norsAverve  from  right,  if  poor.’  What  a noble 
“ conception  of  moral  courage — of  true  fortitude  ! 

“ Benevolence  and  Good-faith,  Avhich  are  quite  sub- 
“ ordinate  in  the  heathen  systems  of  the  West,  in  that  of 
“China,  are  each  promoted  to  the  leadership  of  a grand 
“division.  In  fact,  the  Avhole  tone  of  Chinese  morals,  as 
“exhibited  in  the  names  and  order’ of  their  cardinal 
“ Aurtues,  is  quite  consonant  Avith  the  spirit  of  Christianity. 
“ Benevolence  leads  the  Avay  in  prompting  to  positive 
“ efforts  for  the  good  of  others ; Justice  folloAvs  to  regulate 
“ its  actions  ; Wisdom  sheds  her  light  over  both  ; Good 
“ faith  imparts  the  stability  necessary  to  success  ; Polite- 
“ ness,  or  a sense  of  propriety,  by  bringing  the  whole 
“ conduct  into  harmony  Avith  the  fitness  of  things,  com- 
“ pletes  the  radiant  circle. 

“ Part  IV.  is  the  counterpart  of  the  preceding,  and  is 
“ interesting  mainly  on  account  of  the  use  for  Avhich  it 
“ is  designed.  The  Avhole  chart  is  practical,  and  is  in- 
“ tended,  the  author  tells  us,  to  be  suspended  in  the 
“ chamber  of  the  student  as  a constant  monitor.  The 
“ terms  in  Avhich  he  states  this  contain  an  allusion  to  a 
“ sentiment  engraved  by  one  of  the  ancient  emperors  on 


SELF-EXAMINA  TION. 


207 


“ his  wash  basin  ; — ‘ Let  my  heart  be  daily  cleansed  and 
“ ‘ renewed,  and  be  kept  fresh  and  pure  forever.’  This 
“part  of  the  work  has  for  its  special  object  to  aid  the 
“ reader  in  detecting  the  moral  impurities  that  may  have 
“ attached  themselves  to  his  character,  and  carrying-  for- 
“ward  a process  of  daily  and  constant  improvement. 

“To  some  it  may  be  a matter  of  surprise  to  find  this 
“ exercise  at  all  in  vogue  in  a country  where  a divine  re- 
“ ligion  has  not  imparted  the  highest  degree  of  earnestness 
“ in  the  pursuit  of  virtue.  The  number  who  practice  it  is 
“ not  large  ; but  even  in  pagan  China,  the  thorny  path 
“ of  self-knowledge  exhibits  ‘ here  and  there  a traveler.’ 
“Tsang-fu-tsze,  an  eminent  disciple  of  Confucius,  and 
“the  Xenophon  of  his  Memorabilia,  thus  describes  his 
“ own  practice.  ‘ I every  day  examine  myself  on  three 
“ ‘ points.  In  exertions  on  behalf  of  others,  have  I 
“ ‘ been  unfaithful } In  intercourse  with  others,  have  I 
“ ‘ been  untrue  ? The  instruction  I have  heard  have  I 
‘“m.ade  my  own  .?’  An  example  so  revered  could  not 
“remain  without  imitators.  Whether  any  of  them  has 
“surpassed  the  mxodel  is  doubtful ; but  his  ‘three  points,’ 
“ they  have  multiplied  into  the  bristling  array  displayed 
“ in  the  chart,  which  they  daily  press  into  their  bosoms, 
“as  some  Papal  ascetics  were  wont  to  do  their  jagged 
“ belts.  Some  of  them,  in  order  to  secure  greater  fidelity 
“ in  this  unpleasant  duty,  are  accustomed  to  perform  it 
“ in  the  family  temple,  where  they  im.agine  their  hearts 
“laid  bare  to  the  view  of  their  ancestors,  and  derive 
“ encouragement  from  their  supposed  approval.” 

I have,  thus,  in  the  briefest  possible  space,  but  in  the 
most  authoritative  form,  presented  to  my  readers  a picture, 
so  to  speak,  of  the  Confucian  ethics.  A word  now  is  needed 
to  indicate  the  influence  which  they  have  exerted  upon 
the  nation.  I cannot  do  this  more  briefly,  more  thoroughly, 
or  authoritatively,  than  by  quoting  from  Dr.  Legges’  intro- 


208 


DIFFUSION  AND  INFLUENCE 


duction  to  his  great  translation  of  the  Confucian  clas- 
sics ; — 

“ At  the  present  day  education  is  widely  diffused 
“ throughout  China.  In  no  other  country  is  the  schoolmas- 
“ ter  more  thoroughly  abroad,  and  in  all  schools  it  is  Con- 
“ fucius  who  is  taught.  The  plan  of  competitive  examin- 
“ ations,  and  the  selection  for  civil  offices  only  from  those 
“ who  have  been  successful  candidates,  have  obtained  for 
“ more  than  twelve  centuries.  The  classical  works  are  the 
“textbooks.  It  is  from  these  almost  exclusively  that  the 
“ themes  proposed  to  determine  the  knowledge  and  the 
“ ability  of  the  student  are  chosen.  The  whole  of  the 
“ magistracy  of  China  is  thus  versed  in  all  that  is  recorded 
“of  the  sage,  and  in  the  ancient  literature  which  he  pre- 
“ served.  His  thoughts  are  familiar  to  every  man  in 
“ authority,  and  his  character  is  more  or  less  reproduced 
“ in  him. 

“ The  official  civilians  of  China,  numerous  as  they  are, 
“are  but  a fraction  of  its  students,  and  the  students,  or 
“those  who  make  literature  a profession,  are  again  but  a 
“fraction  of  those  who  attend  school  for  a longer  or 
“shorter  period.  Yet  so  far  as  their  studies  have  gone, 
“ they  have  been  occupied  with  the  Confucian  writings. 
“ In  many  school-rooms  there  is  a tablet  or  inscription 
“ on  the  wall,  sacred  to  the  sage,  and  every  pupil  is  re- 
“quired,  on  coming  to  school  on  the  ist  and  15th  days 
“ of'  each  month,  to  bow  before  it  as  an  act  of  worship. 
“ Thus,  all  in  China  who  receive  the  slightest  tincture  of 
“learning,  do  so  at  the  fountain  of  Confucius.  They 
“ learn  of  him  and  do  homage  to  him  at  once.  During 
“his  lifetime  he  had  three  thousand  disciples.  Hun- 
“dreds  of  millions  are  his  disciples  now.  For  two  thou- 
“sand  years  he  has  reigned  supreme,  the  undisputed 
“ teacher  of  this  most  populous  land.” 

It  may  be  asked  what  the  Confucian  classics  and  eth- 


OF  CHINESE  ETHICS. 


209 


ics  have  to  do  with  the  Chinese  in  California.  I answer 
at  once  that  they  have  much  to  do  with  them.  The 
whole  structure  of  government  in  China  fs  permeated  by 
the  principles  of  which  they  are  the  expositors.  The 
whole  character  of  family  life  has  been  moulded  by  them. 
There  is  no  Chinaman  in  his  native  country,  or  in  ours, 
whose  conceptions  of  ■'filial  duty  have  not  been  affected 
by  the  sentiments  which  Confucius  taught,  and  which 
have  come  to  be  a part  of  the  daily  life  of  the  immense 
masses  of  the  empire.  All  the  influence  of  a government 
which  is  founded  upon  the  patriarchal  idea,  and  has 
devoted  no  small  part  of  its  efforts  to  the  diffusion  of  ed- 
ucation, and  has  considered  education  as  having  for  its 
more  immediate  object  the  diffusion  of  a system  of  mor- 
als suited  to  the  requirements  of  the  people  and  the  sta- 
bility of  the  empire,  have  been  so  directed  as  to  give  au- 
thority to  his  teachings.  The  Emperor  is  the  father  of 
his  people.  His  officers  take  his  place  as  such  in  the 
administration  of  affairs.  If  the  father  or  the  mother  of 
any  officer  dies  he  must  retire  from  duty  for  a period  of 
years  to  mourn  for  the  deceased  one.  To  wives  or  daugh- 
ters who  have  shown  extraordinary  devotion,  monu- 
ments of  imperishable  'stone,  large,  ornamented,  and  en- 
graven with  legends  describing  the  merits  of  the  individ- 
ual, are  put  up  by  imperial  decree,  and  may  be  seen  scat- 
tered at  not  infrequent  intervals  along  all  the  highways 
of  the  empire.  The  worship  of  ancestors  has  grown 
out  of  this  system  of  ethics,  and  of  the  efforts  made  by 
government,  and  every  Chinaman  among  us  who  ar- 
ranges in  life  that  his  bones  shall  be  sent  back  to  his  na- 
tive land  to  rest  with  his  ancestors,  bears  unconscious 
testimony  to  the  influence  of  the  great  teacher. 

It  is  idle  to  say,  then,  that  the  Chinaman  who  reaches 
our  shores,  does  not  bear  with  him  the  impulses  derived 
from  the  ethics  of  his  race.  He  has  drawn  them  into  his 


N 


210 


MORAL  CULTURE 


being  with  his  mother’s  milk.  He  has  imbibed  them 
from  the  attitude  of  respect  insensibly  adopted  by  every 
member  of  his  family  toward  the  parents  of  the  family, 
and  by  every  member  of  his  community  toward  the  elders 
of  the  place.  He  knows  no  other  pathway  than  that  which 
has  been  trodden  from  time  immemorial  by  the  teem- 
ing millions  of  his  countrymen  on  the  pilgrimage  of  life. 
As  he  hopes  for  prosperity  here,  or  rest  in  the  land  be- 
yond the  grave,  he  draws  the  faith  of  his  ancestors  to  his 
heart.  It  is  an  always  present,  over-shadowing  belief, 
which  does  not  keep  him  perfectly  in  the  ways  of  recti- 
tude, but  what  faith  is  there  of  human  or  divine  origin 
which  accomplishes  perfectly  that  result.  And  if  there 
is  failure,  and  we  are  stern,  let  us  still  remember  that 
charity  which  is  commended  to  us  by  our  own  system  as 
the  greatest  of  all  our  duties,  and  which  would  lead  us  to 
add  not  to  his  burdens,  but  to  cheer  and  encourage  him 
by  example  and  by  deed.  I mistake  the  generosity  of 
my  country  people,  my  faith  in  human  nature  is  too  con- 
fiding, if  we  are  to  take  any  other  course.  That  great 
sentiment  which  has  enfranchised  and  raised  up  a whole 
nation  of  another  race  and  hue,  which  is  providing  for 
the  sick  and  fatherless  among  us  by  charitable  insti- 
tutions of  greater  magnitude  than  have  been  seen  else- 
where, and  which  is  sending  out  the  messengers  of  the 
Cross  into  all  lands,  will  not  fail  in  this  emergency. 

Following  the  course  which  I have  already  adopted^ 
when  dealing  with  questions  of  fact,  I propose  now  to 
place  before  my  readers  the  testimony  of  Californians  re- 
garding the  moral  qualities  of  the  Chinese.  For  obvious 
reasons  this  will  include  statements  of  a special  nature 
indicating  their  faithfulness  at  work,  their  peaceable  ten- 
dencies, their  sobriety,  etc.  Afterward  I shall  allude  to 
the  other  side  of  the  case,  and  indicate  that  we  cannot 
jrghcfuily  visit  the  iniquities  of  some  of  their  numbers 


OF  THE  CHINESE  IN  CALIFORNIA.  211 

upon  the  whole  class  of  immigrants,  and  that  we  have 
ourselves  to  blame  measurably  for  the  evils  which  do  un- 
doubtedly exist. 

Mr.  Babcock  testified  ; — '' 

“ Q.  In  your  dealings  with  the  Chinese,  how  do  you 
“ find  them  for  honesty  and  integrity  ? A.  They  are 
“ very  keen,  clever  merchants  ; they  buy  closely,  I never 
“lost  a dollar  with  one  of  them  in  my  life.  I would  trust 
“them  with  four,  five,  ten,  or  fifteen  thousand  dollars  just 
“ as  soon  as  I would  any  of  the  jobbers  in  the  city. 

“ Q.  Would  you  not  trust  them  a little  sooner  ? A. 
“No;  I cannot  say  I would  trust  them  a little  sooner. 
“ Mr.  John  Parrott  did  all  their  banking  business  here  for 
“ years,  and  he  told  me  that  he  had  never  lost  one  dollar 
“ of  principal  or  interest  from  any  Chinaman  while  he 
“was  in  the  business.  We  sell  them  Mexican  dollars 
“ frequently  ; every  week  almost,  and  if  they  want  to  take 
“them  to  their  place  to  examine  them,  we  always  let 
“ them  do  it.  * * I think  they  pay  their  debts  of  all 
“sorts  and  kinds  ten  times  more  promptly  than  white 
“ people  ; I believe  they  pay  their  rents  better  and  more 
“ promptly.” 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Brier  said  ; — ^ 

“ I believe  the  laboring  class  of  Chinese  are  less  cor- 
“rupting  on  the  people  here,  than  any  other  class  of 
“ foreigners  that  we  have  in  the  land.  That  is  my  firm 
“ belief.  I have  employed  them  ; I have  had  them  on 
“ my  place  ; I have  had  them  near  to  me,  and  I put  more 
“ confidence  in  them  than  in  any  other  foreign  nationality 
“whatever.  * * They  are  a very  polite  people. 
“ When  I go  out  to  the  field,  they  bid  me  good-morning 
“in  a very  polite  manner.  They  are  not  easily  excited  ; 
“ they  are  very  equable  in  their  temper  of  mind.  They 
“ are  very  cleanly ; they  keep  themselves  neat,  and 


‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  711. 


“Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  576. 


212 


GOOD-FAITH  OF  CHINESE  MERCHANTS. 


“ clean,  and  nice ; there  is  nothing  offensive  about  them. 
“ Scarcely  any  of  them  ever  swear  ; none  of  them  that  I 
“ have  ever  known  drink  whisky.” 

Mr.  Colton  said  ; — ' 

“ I have  never  had  occasion  to  find  fault  with  them. 
“ They  have  always  been  prompt,  and  faithful  to  carry 
“ out  their  engagements.  I think  that  you  can  consider 
“ them  an  intellectual  people,  a thinking  people.  They 
“are  not  a people  to  fly  kites  and  make  a great  fuss,  but 
“ they  go  along  steadily  and  persistently,  and  they  are 
“industrious  and  frugal.  I never  saw  a drunken  China- 
“ man  in  my  life.  They  are  always  themselves  ; they  do 
“ not  have  any  sprees.  I have  heard  of  their  smoking 
“ of  opium,  but  out  of  three  or*  four  thousand  on  the  road 
“ there  are  no  opium  smokers.  There  is  no  trouble  with 
“them  ; they  are  always  on  hand  in  the  morning  ; they 
“ do  a full  day’s  work  ; and  they  are  certainly  the  most 
“cleanly  laborers  we  have.” 

Judge  Heydenfeldt  said  ; — 

“ 0.  P'rom  your  acquaintance  with  the  population  of 
“ California  of  all  kinds,  how  does  the  morality  and  the 
“ behavior  of  the  Chinese  contrast  with  the  morality  and 
“behavior  of  immigrants  from  Europe.^  A.  Taking 
“ the  classes  that  we  have  seen  before  us,  the  Chinese  are 
“ something  better.  I think  they  are  more  faithful,  more 
“ reliable  and  more  intelligent.  * * I think  that  they 

“ have  more  industry  than  the  corresponding  class  of 
“whites.  * * I think  that  they  are  thoroughly  reliable 
“ and  perfectly  faithful  to  their  engagements.” 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Loomis  said  ; — ^ 

“ The  Chinese  at  home,  in  their  own  country,  are  out- 
“wardly  the  most  correct,  the  most  thrifty,  and  unexcep- 
“ tionable,  in  their  domestic  and  commercial  life,  of  any 
“ of  the  nations  who  have  not  enjoyed  the  advantages  of 

' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  6oi.  “ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  450. 

® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  509. 


OF  THE  CHINESE  AT  LARGE. 


213 


“ a Christian  civilization.  As  a body  in  this  country 
“ they  are  a quiet,  inoffensive,  docile  people.  There  are 
“ none  among  the’m  like  the  hoodlum  element  among  our 
“ lawless  boys  and  young  men.  There  are  none  who 
“ compare  to  the  low,  profane,  debauched,  drunken 
“crowds,  that  infest  portions  of  most  American  and 
“ European  cities.” 

Mr.  Sneath,  manager  of  the  Merchants  Bank,  said  ; — ‘ 

“I  have  been  a merchant  most  of  my. time  in  Califor- 
“ nia.  I have  dealt  a great  deal  with  Chinese,  and  with 
“ Chinese  merchants  in  this  city  particularly.  I have 
“always  found  them  truthful,  honorable,  and  perfectly 
“ reliable  in  all  their  business  engagements.  I have  done 
“business  with  them  to  the  amount  of  several  millions  of 
“dollars.  I have  never  had  a single  one  of  them  fail  to 
“live  up  to  his  contract.  I never  lost  a dollar  by  them 
“ in  all  my  business  with  them.” 

Mr.  Brown,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  California,  said  ; — 

“In  our  business  transactions  with  Chinese  merchants, 
“ they  have,  always  been  very  straightforward  and  very 
“ correct.” 

Judge  Campbell  said  ; — ^ 

“ Q.  What  is  the  moral  character  of  Chinese  immi- 
“ grants,  as  compared  with  that  of  immigrants  from  other 
“ countries  A.  I am  not  prepared  to  answer  that 
“question  definitely,  but  from  the  general  knowledge  I 
“have  upon  the  subject  I do  not  think  they  differ  much 
“ from  any  other  class  of  immigration  of  the  same  char- 
“ acter  and  standing  as  themselves  ; that  is,  in  the  same 
“vocations,  following  the  same  line  of  life.” 

Mr.  Joseph  A.  Cooledge,  manager  of  the  Merchants’ 
Exchange,  said  ; — ■* 

“ The  rule  has  obtained  to  a great  extent  to  charge 
“ the  offenses  of  individual  Chinese  to  the  nation,  while 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,p.  542.  ^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  733. 

” Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  797.  ■‘Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  490. 


214  TESTIMONY  OF  TEACHERS  OF  RELIGION. 

“crimes  of  other  people  would  be  fixed  on  the  individual 
“ alone,  without  regard  to  his  nationality.  I am  not  con- 
“ vinced  that  the  Chinese  are  less  law-abiding  than  other 
“people,  though,  through  the  prejudice  that  exists  against 
“ them,  many  are  arrested  for  crimes  rvhich,  if  committed 
“ by  what  is  called  a white  man,  would  pass  unnoticed, 
“ and  our  laws  show  a larger  proportion  of  arrests  than  if 
“ the  laws  were  impartially  executed.  * * If,  as  is  claimed, 
“ the  greater  portion  of  the  Chinese  now  here  are  of  the 
“ lowest  order  of  their  own  countrymen,  it  speaks  volumes 
“in  favor  of  Chinese  civilization,  and  a strong  induce- 
“ment  to  encourage  a larger  immigration  of  the  better 
“ classes.  * * Chinese  merchants  at  the  Exchange 

“are  treated  just  the  same  as  the  people  of  any  other 
“ nation.  They  are  treated  with  as  much  courtesy  on 
“ ’change  as  anybody  could  be.” 

The  Reverend  David  Deal  presented  to  the  Congres- 
sional commission  a memorial  of  the  “members  of  the 
“ preachers’  meeting  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
“ in  the  city  of  San  Erancisco.”  It  contains,  the  follow- 
“ing  statements,  among  other  things  of  interest ; — 

“We  have  carefully  noted  their  habits  of  industry  and 
“ quietness  of  demeanor,  and  have  rarely  known  them  to 
“ solicit  alms. 

“In  many  of  our  churches  we  have  Sabbath  schools, 
“ as  well  as  the  night  schools,  in  which  they  receive  in- 
“ struction,  and  we  find  them  eager  to  learn  our  language. 
“ They  take  an  interest  in  reading  the  Scriptures,  and 
“ manifest  anxiety  to  understand  lessons  of  truth. 

“ We  have  given  personal  attention  to  the  missionary 
“ efforts  of  the  different  churches  on  the  coast,  and  have 
“ been  personally  acquainted  with  a number  of  the  coh- 
“ verts,  in  whose  piety  and  purity,  of  intention  in  joining 
“ the  Christian  church  we  have  entire  confidence. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  443. 


TEACHERS  OF  RELIGION. 


215 


“ The  Chinese  native  preachers  are  called  to  endure 
“ the  persecution  of  the  early  Christian  church.  We  have 
“ in  our  number  those  who  have  witnessed,  personally, 
“ their  heroic  devotion  to  the  truth. 

“ We  would  ask  that  the  Christian  sentiment  of  the 
“land  be  not  wholly  ignored,  for  it  is  not  confined  to  the 
“unthinking  multitude  who,  for  the  time,  can  be  ruled 
“ by  passion.  And  we  really  fear  it  would  require  a more 
“potent  effort  to  convert  some  of  them  to  Christianity, 
“ or  to  a more  correct  appreciation  of  a genuine  Christian 
“ civilization  than  it  would  the  Chinese.” 

Mr.  Easterby  said  ; — 

“ O.  How  are  they,  then,  in  regard  to  performing  their 
“ contracts,  generally  ? A.  Wherever  I have  employed 
“ them  they  have  faithfully  carried  them  out. 

“ 0.  What  do  you  say  in  regard  to  their  honesty  ? 
“ A.  I have  neverdbund  a dishonest  Chinaman. 

“ Q.  How  is  it  in  regard  to  their  temperance  ? A.  I 
“have  never  seen  one — in  fact  I have  never  known  one 
“ — to  drink  liquor.” 

The  Reverend  John  Francis,  a missionary  of  the  Bap- 
tist Home  Missionary  Society,  said  ; — 

“ I find  the  Chinese  to  be  just  like  other  people  ; I 
“ cannot  perceive  any  difference  at  all.  When  we  bring 
“religious  truths  to  bear  upon  them,  they  appreciate  and 
“exemplify  religious  principles  just  like  other  people. 
“ I have  been,  to  some  extent,  connected  with  almost  all 
“nationalities  in  both  hemispheres.  I hold  the  office  of 
“ a minister,  and  I am  not  able  to  point  out  any  difference 
“between  a Chinaman  and  people  of  other  national- 
“ities,  Welsh,  Irish,  French,  Scotch,  &c.  When  I bring 
“ the  truth  to  bear  upon  their  intellects  and  hearts,  the 
“ effect  is  alike.” 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  746. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  484. 


216 


GENERAL  TESTIMONY. 


Colonel  Hollister,  speaking  of  the  Chinese  in  the  town 
of  Santa  Barbara,  said  ; — ‘ 

“Out  of  the  whole  four  hundred  in  the  place,  there 
“ have  been  four  arrests  in  the  course  of  a year.  Two 
“ of  them  were  dismissed  ; two  cases  were  for  petty  lar- 
“ ceny,  stealing  vegetables,  or  something  like  that,  from 
“ their  own  people.  I never  saw  a better  population  in 
“ my  life.” 

Mr.  Jessup  said  ; — ^ 

“ I do  not  believe  I ever  had  a Chinaman  in  my  em- 
“ ploy  who  ever  took  a dollar’s  worth  of  property  from 
“ me.  In  the  match  factory  the  habit  had  been  to  take 
“revenue  stamps  all  the  way  from  $i,  up  to  $1,500,  at  a 
“time,  and  leave  them  in  charge  of  the  Chinamen,  and 
“ I do  not  believe  that  we  have  ever  lost  a dollar’s  worth 
“of  stamps  since  we  have  used  them.  Repeatedly  I 
“have  given  my  Chinamen  $1,500  worth  of  stamps  at  a 
“ time.  I do  not  believe  I have  ever  had  one  lie  to  me. 
“ I certainly  have  never  found  it  out  if  he  has.  As  far  as 
“ my  experience  goes  I find  them  very  truthful.” 

Mr.  McLennan  said  ; — ^ 

“ I never  found  a case  of  theft  among  them.  It  is 
“ possible  that  such  things  might  take  place  and  we  not 
“know  it,  but  we  have  never  discovered  anything  of  the 
“ kind,  or  noticed  that  anything  was  taken  away.” 

Mr.  Beckham  said  ; — ^ 

“It  is  hard  to  speak  of  the  honesty  of  any  people  as 
“a  whole  class.  There  are  good,  bad,  and  indifferent 
“ among  the  Chinese,  as  among  any  other  class  of  people. 
“ I can  safely  say  that  they  will  average  well.  * * Our 
“business  is  with  Chinese  to  a considerable  extent.  We 
“have  carried  to  the  account  of  profit  and  loss  from 
“$5,000  to  $8,000  a year,  and  $75  covers  all  we  have 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  744. 
° Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  821. 


® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  607. 
■*  Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  555- 


GENERAL  TESTIMONY. 


217 


“ever  lost  by  a Chinaman.  * * There  are  Chinese 

“merchants  in  the  city  whom  I would  credit  to-day 
“ $20,000,  who  have  not  got  $2,000  visible  to  me.  They 
“never  fail  to  pay.” 

Mr.  Roberts  said  ' 

“ I do  not  think  they  are  models  as  to  honesty,  but 
“ they  are  about  as  reliable  as  the  common  run  of  men 
“w'ho  fill  such  positions.  If  you  take  the  educated,  in- 
“telligent  Chinamen,  the  merchants,  I find  them  very 
“ reliable,,  very  trustworthy,  and  we  seldom  have  the  dis- 
“ agreement  of  a cent  in  our  accounts.” 

The  Reverend  Mr.  .Shearer  said  ; — 

“ Notwithstanding  the  difficulty  of  inducing  a heathen 
“ people  to  renounce  idolatry  and  ancestral  worship,  and 
“ to  give  up  friends  and  worldly  prospects  to  gain  nothing 
“but  peace  of  conscience  here,  and  heaven  hereafter; 
“ and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  brutal  treatment 
“they  often  receive  from  an  idle,  vicious,  and  prejudiced 
“class  of  our  own  citizens  has  a tendency  to  make  them 
“ despise  Christianity  because  they  erroneously  attribute 
“ these  wrongs  to  a Christian  people,  the  progress  of  our 
“ mission  work  has  been  eminently  encouraging,  both  as 
“ to  the  number  of  converts,  their  integrity  and  piety,  and 
“ as  to  the  increase  in  the  means  and  agencies  employed, 
“ and  the  sympathy  manifested  by  the  churches  of  our 
“ denomination.”  (Presbyterian). 

Mr.  Wheeler  said  ; — 

“ I have  found  them  a pacific,  mild,  and  gentle  people, 
“ so  far  as  I have  had  experience  with  them.  Those  who 
“have  been  in  my  employment  as  domestic  servants,  I 
“ have  always  found  extremely  subordinate  and  respect- 
“ ful,  quiet,  attentive,  and  rather  avoiding  difficulties,  in 
“ such  cases  as  I have  seen,  than  seeking  them.  They  are 

^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  443, 

“Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  632. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  517. 


218 


GENERAL  CONCLUSIONS. 


“conscious,  evidently,  of  the  prejudices  existing  against 
“ them.  The  children  of  the  community  are  disposed  to 
“ pelt  them  with  stones,  and  they  avoid  giving  them  the 
“ opportunity.  I have  seen  them  go  around  a block  rather 
“ than  pass  by  four  or  five  boys  whom  they  thought  might 
“ stone  them,  not  because  they  personally  feared  the  boys, 
“ but  they  did  not  want  to  be  subjected  to  the  annoyance.” 

The  evidence  which  I have  thus  quoted,  is  certainly 
not  unfavorable  to  the  Chinese  in  California.  The  wit- 
nesses cited,  are  each  and  all  of  more  or  less  prominence 
in  the  State  and  of  undoubted  intelligence.  They  are 
thoughtful  and  experienced  men,  whose  views  for  all 
reasons  are  entitled  to  much  consideration.  And  those 
views  are  not  those  of  a minority  of  the  witnesses  who 
were  actually  called  before  the  commission.  I have,  by 
no  means  exhausted  the  statements  favorable  to  the 
Chinese.  If  I had  taken  them  all  out  from  the  record, 
placing  those  which  are  favorable  on  the  one  side,  and 
the  unfavorable  on  the  other,  the  lists  would  show  that 
the  former  predominated,  and  that  the  witnesses  who 
spoke  for  the  Chinese,  were,  as  a rule,  of  a decidedly  bet- 
ter grade  of  intelligence,  education  and  experience  than 
the  others. 

It  would  be  difficult  under  these  circumstances  to  admit 
that  the  Chinese  in  California  may  be  seriously  objected 
to  as  a specially  vicious  class  of  the  community.  They 
are  men,  and  have  vices.  But  they  are,  as  a rule 
in  California  as  in  China,  a peaceable  people,  easily  gov- 
erned, whose  forms  of  vice  are  of  a less  malevolent  kind 
than  those  of  white  men,  and  less  dangerous  to  the  peace 
of  a community.  In  subsequent  chapters  I shall  indicate 
what  positive  evils  do  attend  their  presence  among  us, 
and  the  remedies  which  may  be  sought  in  political  nego- 
tiations, in  legislation,  and  in  administration.  I conclude 
this  one  with  a reference  to  statistics,  as  demonstrating 


STATISTICS. 


219 


more  perfectly  the  general  conclusion  in  regard  to  the 
vicious  tendencies  of  the  Chinese,  which  I have  reached 
from  the  facts  already  presented. 

On  page  121  of  Mr.  Brooks’  “Appendix  to  Open- 
“ ing  Statement  and  Brief,”  will  be  found  the  following 
statistics  ; — 

Number  of  admissions  to  Almshouse  from  May  ist, 
1870,  to  September,  1876, 


Miscellaneous 3)257 

Chinese 6 


3,263 

Number  of  admission  to  Industrial  School  from  1869 
to  1877. 

Miscellaneous 1,107 

Present  number  225.  Chinese  9. 

STATE  PRISON  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Year. 

Total. 

Foreign. 

Native. 

Chinese. 

Irish. 

1851 

33 

18 

15 

None 

6 

1852-1853 

105 

58 

47 

do 

5 

1853-1854 

154 

85 

69 

5 

10 

1854-1855 

190 

98 

92 

6 

21 

1856-1857 

291 

157 

134 

12 

33 

1858-1859 

396 

234 

162 

16 

40 

1859-1860 

483 

295 

188 

21 

46 

1 860- 1 86 1 

516 

310 

206 

28 

51 

1861-1862 

553 

330 

223 

33 

62 

1862-1863 

515 

305 

210 

31 

58 

1863-1864 

540 

335 

205 

36 

60 

1864-1865 

577 

342 

235 

47 

63 

1865-1866 

551 

345 

206 

53 

55 

1866-1867 

648 

421 

227 

81 

72 

1867-1868 

692 

449 

243 

78 

85 

1868-1869 

732 

358 

374 

76 

86 

1870-1871 

880 

403 

477 

118 

86 

1872-1873 

931 

453 

478 

150 

87 

220 


STATISTICS. 


State  Insane  Asylum. 


Year. 

Total. 

Foreign. 

Native. 

Chinese. 

Irish. 

1851 

13 

5 

8 

None. 

2 

1852 

128 

63 

65 

do 

10 

1853 

284 

133 

151 

I 

28 

1854 

307 

123 

184 

I 

24 

1855-56 

380 

149 

231 

I 

23 

1857 

248 

124 

70 

6 

32 

1858 

260 

165 

105 

II 

71 

1859 

276 

164 

1 12 

7 

57 

i860 

248 

134 

1 14 

7 

49 

1861 

219 

155 

64 

5 

36 

1862 

301 

203 

. 98 

1 1 

49 

1863 

252 

170 

82 

8 

57 

1864 

219 

155 

64 

8 

66 

1865 

268 

158 

100 

9 

60 

1866 

279 

149 

130 

10 

48 

1867 

313 

186 

127 

8 

69 

1868 

387 

266 

121 

10 

107 

1869 

482 

303 

179 

17 

99 

1870 

562 

395 

167 

13 

141 

1871 

523 

349 

174 

13 

122 

1872 

506 

347 

J59 

24 

1 107 

1873 

401 

270 

131 

16 

94 

1874 

524 

330 

174 

23 

1 14 

1875 

615 

417 

198 

27 

J47 

Taking  the  statistics  of  the  State’s  prison  first,  we  find 
that  in  1 860-61,  the  whole  number  of  prisoners  was  516 
That  of  the  Chinese  was 28 

In  the  year  i860  the  whole  population  of  the  State 

was 379,994 

That  of  the  Chinese  was 34-933 

The  Chinese  population  then  was  something  less  than 
one  in  ten,  while  their  part  of  the  whole  number  of  crim- 
inals was  about  one  in  eighteen. 


TENOR  OF  STATISTICS.  221 

In  the  year  1870-71,  the  whole  number  of  prisoners 

was 880 

Including  of  the  Chinese 118 

In  1870  the  population  was 560,247 

Including  of  the  Chinese 49.310 


Their  proportion  of  population  was  then  about  one  in 
eleven,  and  of  criminals  about  one  in  seven  and  a half. 

In  considering  the  bearing  of  these  statistics,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  Chinese  in  California  are  nearly 
all  males,  that  the  percentage  would  need  to  be  very 
largely  against  them  to  compensate  for  this,  and  that  the 
difficulty  of  • procuring  convictions  of  white  men  with 
white  juries  would  be  sensibly  greater  than  that  of  pro- 
curing convictions  against  Chinese,  the  juries  being  white. 

The  table  indicates,  apparently,  an  increase  of  crime 
among  the  Chinese  in  late  years.  They  do  not  go  far 
enough  for  me  to  judge  whether  this  is  apparent  or  real, 
but  it  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  there  has  been  an 
increase.  This  might  arise  from  unfavorable  tendencies 
of  their  position  among  us,  or  from  an  increased  flow  cf 
persons  driven  from  China  because  of  their  crimes. 

Taking  the  table  of  the  State’s  Insane  Asylum,  we 
find  that  in  i860  there  were  seven  Chinese  inmates  out 
of  two  hundred  and  forty-eight,  and  in  1870,  thirteen, 
out  of  five  hundred  and  sixty-two.  The  difference  in 
the  percentage  in  this  direction  is  so  great  as  to  occasion 
surprise,  more  particularly  when  one  remembers  that  the 
absence  of  women  among  the  Chinese  has  a direct  and 
positive  tendency  to  increase  forms  of  vice  which  occasion 
insanity. 

With  one  further  citation  I shall  close  this  chapter. 
Mr.  Edward  J.  Armstrong'  testified  that  he  had  ex- 
amined the  records  of  the  district  court  of  the  fourth  dis- 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  74  3. 


222 


TENOR  OF  STATISTICS. 


trict  of  California,  at  Sah  Francisco,  and  that  the  total 
number  of  cases  in  that  court,  up  to  date,  had  been 
28,824.  Out  of  this  great  mass  of  trials,  he  found  that, 
“ there  were  twenty-nine  actions  in  which  the  Chinese 
“were  defendants,  in  which  they  were  sued  for  breach  of 
“ contract,  or  debt,  or  on  promissory  notes  ; for  the  fore- 
“ closure  of  a mortgage,  one  ; damages  for  assault,  one  ; 
“ and  for  malpractice  there  were  two.” 


PART  III.— CHAPTER  V. 


OBJECTIONS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  ADVANCED  AGAINST 
THE  CHINESE.  THAT  THEY  HAVE  SET  UP  A 
GOVERNMENT  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

Statement  of  Mr.  Pixley.  Improbable  nature  of  his  declaration.  The 
subject  of  importance.  Statement  of  Mr.  King  that  the  death  penalty 
is  enforced  by  secret  tribunals.  Statement  of  the  Congressional  com- 
mission. No  sustaining  evidence  in  that  taken  by  the  commission. 
Certain  testimony  taken  by  the  Senate  committee  of  1876.  The  six 
companies.  Mr.  Gibson’s  description  of  their  character  and  objects. 
Mr.  Pixley’s  statements  regarding  the  companies.  Courts  of  arbitration 
among  the  Chinese.  Evidence  of  the  presidents  of  the  six  companies. 
Conclusions  of  the  Senate  committee  of  1876.  Mr.  Rogers’  testimony 
examined.  It  is  hearsay  and  uncertain.  The  Hip  Ye  Tung  society. 
An  organization  of  rufhans  for  unlawful  purposes.  Failures  of  the 
city  and  State  in  dealing  with  the  Chinese.  Control  of  the  foreign 
settlements  at  Shanghai  and  Hong  Kong. 

I shall  take  up  and  consider  in  this  chapter  the  further 
general  objection  advanced  against  the  Chinese,  that  they 
have  instituted  a government  of  their  own  upon  our  soil. 

In  regard  to  this  assumed  feature  of  Chinese  life  in 
America,  Mr.  Pixley,  in  his  opening  argument  before  the 
Congressional  commission,  said  ; — ^ 

“ I have  no  doubt  that  I shall  be  able  to  prove  that 
“ there  are  secret  tribunals,  exercising  a criminal  and 
“civil  jurisdiction,  an  imperium  in  iinperio\  that  they 
“ have  tribunals  and  forced  penalties,  even  to  the  extent^ 
“that  property  and  life  bear  enforcement.  We  think  wej 
“ shall  be  able  to  show,  by  good  testimony,  that  it  is  a 
“common  practice  for  them,  secretly,  to  advertise  the 
“ payment  of  money  for  the  assassination  of  informers 


‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  23. 


224 


IMPERIUM  IN  IMPERIO  THEORY. 


“ and  enemies  ; and  that  their  institution  is  so  secret  and 
“so  subtle,  and  so  close,  as  to  have  defied  the  scrutiny  of 
“ detective  police,  or  the  investigation  of  the  courts.” 

A person  who  is  not  eager  to  believe  evil  of  his  fellow- 
beings  may  be  permitted  to  question  this  language  and 
to  ask  at  once  how  it  can  happen  that  proofs  of  the  exist- 
ence of  such  an  iniperium  hi  imperio,  to  use  the  words  of 
the  advocate  of  the  anti-Chinese  party,  can  be  so  readily 
available  to  him  when  they  have  not  been  available  to 
professional  detectives  and  to  the  courts.  A tribunal 
must  have  a name  and  a place  in  which  to  hold  its  ses- 
sions, but  Mr.  Pixley  has  failed  to  prove  the  name  or  the 
place  of  meeting  of  the  mysterious  association  which  he 
has  pictured  for  us.  A tribunal  which  enforces  its  pen- 
alties must  have  its  executive  agents,  but  these  again 
are  left — shadowy  myths,  creatures  which  the  imagina- 
tion may  depict,  but  which  are  not  otherwise  presented 
to  us.  If  property  and  life  have  been  sacrificed, 
whose  life  is  it  that  was  yielded  up,  and  what  property 
was  it  that  was  sequestrated  If  this  tribunal  has  such 
vast  powers,  why  does  it  need  to  “ advertise”  the  pay- 
ment of  money  for  the  assassination  of  “ informers  and 
“ enemies  Who  again  are  the  officers  and  which  the 
courts  who  have  attempted  to  scrutinize  and  investigate 
the  “ institution.” 

Such  language  as  that  of  Mr.  Pixley  is  not  language 
to  be  used  lightly.  It  is  a grave  arraignment  of  a peo- 
ple who  have  sought  our  shores  largely  because  we  have 
invited  them  to  come,  because  we  have  need  of  their 
labor,  and  who  are  among  us  under  guarantees  given  by 
the  nation  for  their  good  treatment.  It  was  used  before 
a commission  appointed  by  the  Congress  of  the  country 
to  inquire  into  the  qualities  of  those  people.  It  was 
carelessly  used  under  circumstances  when  a grave  and 
decorous  treatment  of  the  subject  was  called  for  by  all 


STATEMENTS  OF  ANTI-CHINESE  PARTISANS.  225 


the  facts  involved.  It  was  accompanied  by  blasphemy 
which  no  considerations  of  duty,  no  regard  for  things 
human  or  divine  ever  led  man  to  utter  in  such  a pres- 
ence. I refer  to  the  closing  words  of  a succeeding  para- 
graph of  Mr.  Pixley’s  opening  address,  in  which  he 
said  ; — 

“ I believe  that  the  Chinese  have  no  souls  to  save,  and 
“ if  they  have,  they  are  not  worth  the  saving.” 

Mr.  King,  the  representative  of  the  anti-Chinese  clubs 
of  California,  in  a paragraph  which  I have  already  quoted, 
said  ; — * 

“We  shall  prove  that  the  majority  of  Chinese  males 
“come  here  bound  by  servile  labor  contracts  for  long 
“ terms  of  years,  and  while  such  contracts  exist  they  are, 
“to  all  intents  and  purposes,  the  absolute  slaves  of  the 
“contractors.  For,  although  these  contracts  are  void  by 
“our  law,  yet  the  superstition  and  fear  of  the  Chinese 
“ bondsman  for  his  master  is  so  great  as  to  prevent  him 
“ from  breaking  his  contract ; that  such  fears  are  well 
“grounded  we  shall  show  by  evidence,  and  we  shall 
“establish  further  this  fact,  that  death  at  the  hands  of 
“ the  Chinese  assassin  has  frequently  been  the  fate  of  the 
“ Chinese  slave  who  attempts  to  break  his  shackles  and 
“ regain  his  freedom.” 

I have  already  demonstrated,  as  I believe,  the  injustice 
done  to  the  Chinese  by  the  statement  that  they  come  to 
California  under  contracts  to  labor.  Mr.  King’s  further 
statement  of  the  way  in  which  such  contracts  are  enforced 
"falls  to  the  ground  necessarily  under  these  circumstances. 
As  it  is  a part  and  parcel,  however,  of  the  imperiuni  in 
imperio  theory,  I place  it  again  before  my  readers  in 
order  that  they  may  judge  whether  there  is  any  other 
foundation  for  that  theory. 

I do  not  forget  that  the  majority  of  the  Congressional 
* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  28. 


O 


226 


STATEMENT  OF  THE 


commission  endorsed  the  proposition  advanced  by  Mr, 
Pixley  and  Mr.  King,  in  regard  to  the  existence  of  a 
secret  rule  among  the  Chinese  in  California,  although  they 
did  not  endorse  the  other  proposition,  that  they  had  been 
imported  under  labor  contracts.  What  they  said  in  this 
connection  is  contained  in  the  following  sentence  ; — 

“ It  was  further  shown  that  the  Chinese  have  a quasi 
“government  among  themselves,  independent  of  our  laws, 

“ authorizing  the  punishment  of  offenders  against  Chinese 
“ customs,  even  to  the  taking  of  life.” 

It  might  be  possible  to  pass  by  the  allegations  of 
Messrs.  Pixley  and  King,  but  it  is  not  possible  to  dis- 
regard the  conclusion  of  the  majority  of  the  commission. 

I trust  that,  notwithstanding  this  dictum,  I shall  be  able 
to  show  that  no  such  government,-  and  no  such  tribunal 
or  tribunals,  exist  in  California,  and  that  the  majority  of 
the  commission  allowed  themselves  to  be  deceived  by 
certain  loose  statements,  and  by  the  support  given  to 
them  by  certain  facts  which,  while  they  appear  to  sus- 
tain their  conclusions,  are  susceptible  of  a very  different 
explanation. 

I should  say,  now,  that  it  is  my  impression  that  the 
honorable  senators  and  members  of  Congress  who  com- 
posed the  majority  of  the  committee,  the  minority  con- 
sisting of  but  one  person — Senator  Morton,  the  chairman, 
whose  name  would  be  a tower  of  strength  to  any  cause 
— traveled  outside  of  their  record  in  the  given  matter. 
There  is  no  positive  evidence  in  all  that  taken  before, 
them  of  the  existence  of  any  secret  tribunals,  any  quasi 
government  among  the  Chinese  in  California.  Such 
testimony  was  given  before  the  committee  of  the  Senate 
of  California,  which  held  sessions  in  San  Francisco  in  the 
months  of  April,  May  and  June,  1876,  but  the  whole  of 
that  testimony  was  objected  to  when  offered  before  the 


CONGRESSIONAL  COMMITTEE. 


227 


Congressional  commission  ; * was  never  accepted  by  it, 
and  did  not  find  a place  even  among  the  miscellaneous 
papers  which  are  bound  up  with  the  report  of  the  com- 
mission. I shall,  nevertheless,  advert  to  and  examine 
this  evidence,  in  order  that  all  the  statements  which  have 
been  made  authoritatively,  in  this  connection,  shall  receive 
appropriate  attention.  I must,  at  the  same  time,  con- 
demn that  evidence  as  carelessly  taken.  No  counsel 
were  employed,  and  no  serious  attempt  was  made  to  go 
to  the  bottom  of  any  of  the  questions  at  issue.  The 
testimony  taken  by  the  committee  covers  no  more  than 
l6o  pages,  and  this  fact  alone  affords  a sufficient  com- 
mentary upon  the  value  of  its  labors. 

I have  said  that  certain  facts  which  appear  to  sustain 
the  conclusions  expressed  by  the  Congressional  commis- 
sion are  susceptible  of  explanation.  It  will  clear  the 
ground  very  much  if  I remove  the  obstructions  to  a cor- 
rect appreciation  of  the  facts  in  this  way. 

It  will  have  been  remarked  by  all  persons  who  have 
paid  any  attention  to  the  Chinese  immigration  ques- 
tion, that  the  six  companies  have  been  objects  of  great 
suspicion  and  dread.  It  is  these  companies  which,  as  we 
have  seen,  have  been  charged  with  the  importation  of 
contract-laborers,  and  the  proposition  that  the  Chinese 
have  a government  of  their  own  in  California,  has  been 
given  form  and  credence  by  the  assumption  that  the 
companies  exercise  a general  control  over  them. 

Let  us  inquire  then,  about  the  purpose  and  organiza- 
tion of  the  six  companies. 

It  is  to  be  said  at  once  that  they  are  miscalled  com- 
panies. The  idea  conveyed  by  the  word  is  that  they  are 
mercantile  or  commercial  associations,  while  the  fact  is 
that  they  are  mutual  aid  societies,  pure  and  simple,  al- 
though the  service  rendered  by  them  to  their  members, 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  67. 


228 


THE  NATURE  AND  OBJECTS 


and  the  Chinese  population  generally,  are  more  various 
than  is  usual  among  such  societies  with  us. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Gibson  thus  describes  their  objects  ; — ‘ 

“ As  to  the  six  companies  and  the  power  they  wield, 
“great  misapprehensions  prevail  in  the  minds  of  the  peo- 
“ple.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  Chinese  in  China,  when 
“any  considerable  number  emigrate  from  one  city  to 
“ another,  to  come  together  and  form  a mutual  aid  soci- 
“ety,  a guild.  The  officers  are  elected  and  hold  their 
“office  for  a specified  length  of  time.  Voluntary  sub- 
“ scriptions  are  raised  and  voluntary  taxes  are  imposed 
“ for  the  purpose  of  providing  a hall,  or  quarters  for  the 
“ meetings  of  the  guild.  Generally  a temple  or  shrine 
“ of  worship,  dedicated  to  the  particular  divinities  of  the 
“ clan,  is  selected  in  connection  with  the  hall.  The  hall 
“ becomes  the  rendezvous  of  the  members  of  the  associa- 
“ tion.  Disputes  and  differences  among  themselves  are 
“ generally  compromised  and  settled  according  to  the 
“ advice  of  the  officers  and  influential  members,  without 
“ resort  to  magistrates.  Membership  is  entirely  volun- 
“ tary,  and  may  be  severed  at  the  ■will  of  the  individual. 
“ Of  such  character  are  the  several  Chinese  associations 
in  California,  now  known  as  the  six  companies.  Each 
“ company  represents  a certain  district  in  China,  and 
“claims  as  members  all  the  Chinese  from  that  district. 
“ There  are  no  formal  rites  or  ceremonies  of  admission. 
“ No  admission  fee  is  charged.  No  certificates  of  mem- 
“ bership  are  issued.  The  name,  age  and  native  place 
“ of  each  immigrant  is  obtained,  immediately  on  the  ar- 
“ rival  of  the  steamer,  by  the  officers  of  the  several  com- 
“ panies,  and  the  name  thus  obtained  is  at  once  enrolled 
“ in  the  books  of  the  company  representing  the  district 
“from  whence  he  came.” 

My  impression  is  that  Mr.  Gibson  is  not  correct  in  say- 
‘ Ch.  in  Am.,  p.  337. 


OF  THE  SIX  COMPANIES. 


229 


ing  that  no  admission  fees  are  charged.  It  appears  that 
some  of  the  companies  do  require  a payment,  either 
upon  the  enrollment  of  the  individual  or  so  soon  as  he 
is  able  to  make  it.  My  impression  is,  also,  that  the  names 
are  taken  upon  the  steamers  for  the  reason  that  a certain 
responsibility  attaches  to  a family,  clan  or  village,  under 
the  Chinese  custom,  for  the  acts  of  individuals  of  the 
family,  clan  or  village,  and  that  a certain  reproach  would 
fall  upon  the  whole  number  of  immigrants  from  a given 
district,  if  individual  members  were  not  restrained  from 
wrongful  acts,  or  were  not  defended  and  provided  for 
by  their  fellow  chinamen  in  case  of  need. 

Mr.  Gibson  continues  ; — 

“ In  the  early  days  of  California  these  companies  were 
“ more  useful  than  now.  They  gave  advice  to  the  newly 
“ arrived  immigrant.  They  took  some  care  of  the  help- 
“ less  poor  and  the  sick,  and  they  did  quite  a business  in 
“ shipping  home  the  bones  of  the  dead.  But  now,  nearly 
“all  the  immigrants  have  personal  friends  already  here, 
“ waiting  to  receive  and  advise  them.  The  sick  and  poor 
“ are  also  generally  cared  for  by  personal  friends,  if  cared 
“ for  at  all.  And  the  opinion  seems  to  be  rapidly  grow- 
“ ing  among  the  Chinese  that  the  bones  of  a poor  China- 
“ man  can  rest  almost  as  well  in  America  as  in  China.” 

We  have  seen  already  that  the  feeling  of  the  Chinese 
in  regard  to  the  return  of  their  dead  to  China  grows  out 
of  national  beliefs  which  may  be  called  religious  in  their 
character.  It  is  the  filial  piety  of  the  race,  which  regards 
the  obligation  of  the  son  as  extending  beyond  this  world, 
and  which  has  inculcated  the  idea  that  no  person  can  be 
considered  happy  in  the  next  world  whose  remains  do 
not  rest  where  family  care  can  be  exercised,  and  family 
sacrifices  offered  over  them.  It  happens  in  this  way  that 
the  district  associations  which  exist  in  China,  undertake 
to  provide  for  their  members  as  well  when  dead  as  when 


230  ARBITRATION  OF  DISPUTES. 

alive,  and  that  a place  of  deposit  for  the  coffins  of  those 
who  die  is  a part  of  the  property  of  such  associations. 
In  these  depositories  such  bodies  remain  until  called  for 
by  the  friends  of  the  deceased  persons,  or  a convenient 
opportunity  offers  for  them  to  be  sent  home  by  the  asso- 
ciation. In  such  case  the  expense  is  defrayed  by  the 
association  if  need  be. 

This  purpose  of  caring  for  the  dead  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  among  the  motives  which  have  induced  the 
Chinese  in  California  to  form  and  sustain  the  associ- 
ations kown  as  the  six  companies,  and  the  ordinance 
which  was  directed  against  the  removal  of  the  remains  of 
Chinese  was  one  of  the  shrewdest  movements  which  have 
been  made  in  California  to  discourage  Chinese  immi- 
gration. 

Mr.  Gibson  says  further ; — 

“ Differences  and  disputes  among  themselves,  however, 
“are  still  at  the  option  of  the  parties,  referred  to  the  offi- 
“ cers  and  influential  members  of  the  associations  as  a 
“ court  of  arbitration.  But  the  companies  do  not  claim 
“ to  have,  nor  attempt  to  use,  any  civil  or  criminal  juris- 
“ diction  over  the  people.  And,  indeed,  the  compromises 
“ recommended  by  the  companies  are  not  always  accepted 
“ by  both  parties  in  dispute,  and  such  cases  are  frequently 
“appealed  from  the  adjustment  recommended  by  the 
“companies,  to  the  decision  of  our  courts.” 

Mr.  Pixley  seems  to  have  arrived,  in  a measure,  at  the 
same  conclusions  in  regard  to  the  six  companies  as  those 
expressed  by  Mn  Gibson.  I find  so  much  that  is  just  in 
what  he  says  of  them,  and  his  statement  is  so  significant 
as  coming  from  an  opponent  of  Chinese  immigration, 
that  I shall  quote  it  at  length ; — ^ 

“My  opinion  is  that  the  Chinese  six  companies  are  the 
“ growth  of  our  Chinese  immigration,  and  the  result  of  the 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  23. 


THE  SIX  COMPANIES. 


231 


"peculiar  circumstances  attending  the  large  influx  of 
" Chinese  to  our  coast ; that  they  were  the  natural  growth 
“ of  necessities  that  called  them  into  existence.  They  are 
“ peculiar  to  California,  and  have  no  protection  under  our 
" law,  and  no  recognized  authority  or  existence  in  China. 
“ They  are  voluntary  associations.  They  have  features 
" belonging  both  to  relief  and  benevolent  societies,  and 
" to  business  and  money  making  organizations.  I think 
“their  growth  came  in  this  way.  As  from  the  different 
“ ports  and  localities  of  China,  the  pioneer  came  to  this 
“ coast,  as  he  sent  back  for  his  relatives  and  friends  and 
“ aided  them  by  his  money,  or  induced  them  by  his  ad- 
“ vice  or  by  the  statement  of  the  El  Dorado  which  he 
“ found  here,  and  this  labor  bonanza  that  paid  him  so 
"richly,  he  induced  his  neighbor  and  relative  from  the 
"same  village,  from  the  same  family,  and  the  same  local- 
“ ity,  to  come  to  California  to  partake  with  him  of  the 
"benefits  of  this  newly  discovered  El  Dorado.  The 
“ second  comers  naturally  would  come  consigned  to 
“their  old  neighbors,  and  the  fact  of  vicinage  and 
“neighborhood  would  naturally  bring  them  together, 
“ and  out  of  it  would  come  a natural  result  of  association 
“and  organization.  When  this  necessity  was  found  to 
“ exist,  and  when  it  was  practically  inaugurated  by  an 
“ organization,  the  benevolent  feature  was  introduced  ; 
“that  is,  they  take  these  people  ; they  provide  for  them 
" when  they  have  money  to  pay  ; they  furnish  them  with 
“ labor  when  they  are  able  to  labor,  and  when  they  can 
"find  contracts  for  them.  They  sometimes  make  ad- 
“vances,  especially  for  food  and  materials  and  tools  to 
"go  into  the  mines,  the  tules  or  elsewhere;  they  open 
“ an  account  with  them  ; they  contract  their  labor ; they 
" receive  their  pay  from  the  original  contractor,  and  open 
“an  account  with  each  coolie,  if  you  please  to  call  him 
“ that.  They  open  an  account  with  them,  charging  them 


232 


THE  SIX  COMPANIES. 


“ large  interest  for  advances,  charging  percentage  for  act- 
“ ing  as  their  agent,  and  finally  \vhen  the  debit  and  credit 
“ account  is  balanced  and  they  are  out  of  debt,  then  the 
“ Chinaman  is  free.” 

Now  some  of  these  statements  are  reasonable  enough 
I on  their  face.  Those  which  describe  the  circumstances 
which  have  led  the  Chinese  to  come  to  our  country 
could  not  be  more  liberally  expressed.  The  words 
'•  newly  discovered  El  Dorado”  and  “ bonanza  of  labor” 
are  graphic,  and  at  the  same  time  accurate.  But  when 
Mr.  Pixley  assumes  to  say  that  the  companies  make  con- 
tracts for  the  labor  of  their  members  he  travels  outside 
of  the  proofs,  and  outside  of  the  range  of  the  possible. 
We  have  already  learned  exactly  how  the  Chinese  are 
engaged  to  labor  by  Amercan  employers,  that  all  con- 
tracts are  made  directly  with  individual  laborers,  or 
with  gangs  of  men  whose  only  bond  of  association  is 
prior  acquaintance  and  the  convenience  of  the  moment. 
The  facts  as  I shall  develop  them  will  show  again  that 
the  six  companies  have  but  a few  officers,  and  no  system 
or  staff  of  organization  by  which  they  could  undertake 
to  contract  for  the  labor  of  their  members. 

And  while  I have  found  Mr.  Pixley’s  remarks  so  far 
just,  I could  not  myself  state  more  liberally  the  conditions 
under  which  the  assistance  of  the  companies  is  lent  for 
the  settlement  of  disputes.  He  says,  continuing  the  par- 
agraph from  which  I have  already  quoted  ; — 

“ The  association  is  a voluntary  one,  and  being  in 
“ this  relation,  they  arbitrate  and  settle  difficulties  among 
“ each  other.  Members  of  the  same  company,  naturally 
“ submit  to  the  officers  of  their  company  the  arbitrament 
“ of  their  disputes,  and  if  the  members  of  one  company 
“ are  imposed  upon,  or  their  rights  infringed  by  the  mem- 
“bers  of  another,  the  natural  result  is  to  bring  an  adjust- 


THE  SIX  COMPANIES. 


233 


“ment  between  these  two  companies  ; and  thus,  arbitra- 
“ ments,  and  courts  and  settlements  are  brought  about.” 

Leung  Cook,  president  of  the  Ning  Yeung  Company, 
testified  before  the  California  Senate  committee,  as  fol- 
lows ; — * 

“ When  my  countrymen  come  to  California,  my  com- 
“pany  takes  care  of  them,  pays  their  boarding  and  lodg- 
“ing  expenses.  For  this  they  collect  afterward  from 
“ each  man  five  dollars.  That  is  considered  to  pay  back 
“the  company  for  its  advances,  for  expenses  and  its 
“ trouble.  When  they  pay  it  back  they  get  a permit'and 
“ can  then  buy  tickets.  When  men  are  sick,  poor  and 
“ unfortunate,  they  remit  the  five  dollars  and  give  a per- 
“ mit  anyhow.  When  men  are  in  debt  to  anybody,  and 
" the  company  finds  it  out,  it  will  not  give  the  permit. 
“ If  the  debtors  are  too  poor  to  pay,  they  are  allowed 
“to  go.” 

“ Q.  Who  is  it  makes  up  the  company  to  which  you 
“ belong  ? A.  Myself,  inspector  and  cook,  three  mem- 
“ bers,  officers.” 

Lee  Ming  Hown,  president  of  the  Sam  Yup  company, 
testified ; — ^ 

“ Q.  Where  does  your  company  get  its  money  A. 
“ By  subscription  from  the  stores.? 

“ Q.  How  long  have  you  been  at  the  head  of  your 
“ company  .?  A.  About  one  year. 

“Q.  How  often  do  they  change  .?  A.  Once  a year. 
“ Sometimes  a man  is  chosen  for  a second  and  third 
“term. 

“ Q.  Who  elects  officers  .?  A.  The  merchants,  mem- 
“bers  of  the  companies. 

“Q.  How  much  salary  do  they  pay  the  president? 
“A.  Eighty  dollars  a month. 

“ Q.  What  does  the  president  do  ? A.  Attends  to 

^ Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  70. 


Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  64. 


234 


THE  SIX  COMPANIES. 


“ new-comers,  persons  not  acquainted  with  the  language 
“ of  this  country,  and  assists  those  who  want  help,  such 
“as  the  sick  and  disabled.” 

Yung  Ty,  president  of  the  Hop  Wo  company,  testi- 
fied ; — 

“ 0.  How  do  people  of  your  company  come  here.? 
“ A.  They  raise  money  mostly  at  home.  Some  borrow 
“ from  friends  in  China. 

“ O.  What  do  they  do  with  the  sick  ? A.  If  they 
“have  relatives  they  take  care  of  them. 

“O.  How  is  it  that  so  many  Chinese  are  in  our  hos- 
“ pitals  ? A.  I don’t  know.  All  that  belong  to  our 

company  we  take  care  of. 

Sin  How,  president  of  the  Kong  Chow  company,  tes- 
tified ; — 

“ Q.  What  do  you  do  with  your  sick  ? A.  If  they 
“ have  brothers  or  relations  they  take  care  of  them,  if  not 
“ we  take  care  of  them.” 

Si  Quon  and  Chin  Fong  Chow,  presidents  of  the  Yung 
Wo  and  Yan  Wo  companies,  were  also  examined  and 
gave  evidence  of  precisely  the  same  sort  as  that  given  by 
the  four  others.® 

I take  it  that  if  these  much  questioned  organizations 
were  really  business  associations,  or  if  they  together  con- 
stituted a ^uasi  government,  an  imperiiim  in  imperio,  we 
should  have  found  a serious  effort  made  by  the  commit- 
tee of  the  California  Senate  to  prove  the  facts  out  of  the 
mouths  of  these  officers,  and  that  having  accomplished 
this,  the  same  men  would  have  been  summoned  before 
the  Congressional  commission.  But  no  such  effort  was 
made,  and  the  fact  of  itself  shows  that  the  Senate  com- 
mittee recognized  the  essentially  useful  and  harmless 
character  of  the  companies.  I have  not  been  able  to 

’ Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  94.  ® Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  pp.  97,  98. 

" Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  95. 


CONCLUSIONS  OF  SENATE  COMMITTEE. 


235 


find  a report  of  the  conclusions  of  that  committee,  but 
the  Honorable  E.  J.  Lewis,  one  of  its  members,  person- 
ally visited  the  Chinese  quarter,  and  reported  as  follows 
regarding  the  companies  ; — ' 

“ We  then  went  to  the  office  of  one  of  these  compa- 
“nies,  the  Sam  Yup  company,  where  we  met  the  heads 
“of  these  six  companies.  We  had  a long  conversation 
“ with  them,  first  as  to  the  number  of  Chinamen  that  be- 
“ long  to  each  company.  * * The  companies,  I think, 
“are  societies  for  the  protection  of  Chinamen  coming 
“ from  some  particular  locality  in  China,  or  in  the  prov- 
“ince  of  Canton.  Each  company  represents  a separate 
“district.  Their  custom  is  that  whenever  a ship  arrives, 

“ an  interpreter  or  inspector  goes  on  board  and  finds  out 
“the  locality  from  which  each  Chinaman  came.  His  an- 
“ swer  determines  the  company  to  which  he  shall  go,  and 
“ he  is  at  once  enrolled  as  a member  thereof  So  far  as 
“ we  could  gather  from  the  Chinese  they  do  not  pay  any 
“dues.  The  presidents  deny  having  exercised  any  crim- 
“inal  jurisdiction  or  to  have  punished  offenders.  They 
“ said  that  no  man  could  go  home  if  he  owed  any  debts 
“to  the  merchants,  because  that  was  the  agreement 
“among  themselves.  The  steamship  company,  being  in- 
“ terested  in  shipping  them,  agreed  not  to  let  them  go. 

“ * * We  asked  them  if  they  had  power  to  suppress 

“gambling-houses  and  houses  of  prostitution,  and  to 
“ compel  the  people  to  keep  clean.  They  said  they  had 
“ not.  They  said  they  could  advise  but  could  not  com- 
“pel.”  « 

The  several  statements  thus  made  accord  so  perfectly, 
they  point  so  positively  to  the  proposition  that  the  six 
companies  are  essentially  social  and  benevolent  associa- 
tions, that  it  seems  unnecessary  to  make  any  further 
citations  of  evidence. 

* Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  44. 


236 


THE  SIX  COMPANIES. 


There  are  those  who  will  see  in  the  facts  as  I have 
presented  them,  a certain  danger,  while,  doubtless,  many 
others  would  say  that  it  is  no  man’s  interest  to  interfere 
with  the  companies.  So  far  as  they  are  mutual  aid 
societies  merely,  they  are,  as  I believe,  beyond  criticism. 
I believe  further,  that  there  is,  in  fact,  no  reason  to  com- 
plain that  they  offer  to  the  Chinese  in  California  an 
inexpensive  way  to  settle  disputes.  Are  not  courts  of 
arbitration  distinctly  favored  by  legislation } Are  not 
individuals  commended  by  public  sentiment  when  they 
are  able  to  call  in  disinterested  friends  to  pass  upon  their 
questions,  instead  of  resorting  to  the  courts  ? Are  not  all 
the  societies  which  exist  among  us  given  to  disciplining 
their  members  ? Can  it  be  possible  that  these  companies, 
some  of  which  number  tens  of  thousands  of  members, 
and  whose  only  ofihcers,  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to 
discover,  are  their  presidents,  inspectors,  and  cooks,  are 
really  dangerous  in  any  sense. 

I assume  now  to  say  that  the  only  proof  of  the  state- 
ment that  the  Chinamen  have  set  up  tribunals  in  America, 
and  that  they  have  a quasi  government  of  their  own 
among  us,  is  such  as  may  be  taken  out  of  the  constitution, 
purposes,  and  organization  of  the  six  companies.  It 
would  appear,  however,  that  certain  acts  are  attributed 
to  the  Chinese  in  general,  and  to  the  interference  of  those 
companies,  which  are  exceptional,  and  which  cannot  be 
brought  home  to  the  one  or  the  other  any  more  than  the 
organization  and  crimes  of  the  Molly  Maguires  can  be 
attributed  to  the  society  of  St.  Patrick,  or  to  the  Irish  ele- 
ment of  our  population  at  large.  This  will  appear  from 
the  following  statements  given  in  evidence  before  the 
committee  of  the  California  Senate. 

I quote  the  testimony  of  Mr.  James  R.  Rogers,  a police 
officer,  who  was  examined  afterward  before  the  Con- 
gressional commission  ; — ‘ 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  i6. 


HEARSAY  TESTIMONY. 


237 


“ Q.  Is  it  not  understood  that  there  is  some  sort  of  a 
“ Chinese  tribunal  here  which  settles  matters,  and  de- 
“ termines  whether  Chinamen,  arrested  on  criminal  pro- 
‘ cesses  emanating  from  our  courts,  shall  be  acquitted  or 
“not.  A.  I do  not  know,  of  my  own  knowledge,  that 
“such  a tribunal  exists.  I only  know  that  when  a 
“ Chinaman  swears  differently  from  what  they  want  him 
“to,  his  life  is  in  danger.  A Chinaman  has  just  returned 
“ here  after  an  absence  of  three  years.  A man  was  killed 
“by  accident,  and  he  was  notified  that  he  must  pay 
“ $1,200.  His  partner  had  a knife  stuck  in  his  back  on 
“Jackson  street,  and  he  was  told  he  must  pay  $1,200. 
“He  asked  me  what  he  should  do  and  I said  not  to  pay 
“ it.  He  said  that  they  would  kill  him,  or  get  Chinamen 
“ to  swear  him  into  State’s  prison.  They  sometimes,  in 
“that  way,  use  our  courts  to  enforce  their  orders  just  as 
“ policy  may  direct.  They  have  no  regard  for  our  laws, 
“ and  obey  them  so  far  as  they  do,  only  through  fear.” 

The  evidence  does  not  go  very  far  to  sustain  the  quasi 
government  theory  to  which  senators  and  members  of 
Congress  have  lent  the  support  of  their  names,  but  such 
as  it  is,  it  deserves  consideration.  “ I only  know  that 
“when  a Chinaman  swears  differently  from  what  they 
“ want  him  to,  his  life  is  in  danger.”  This  is  hearsay  and 
report  only,  for  it  was  not  followed  by  proof  of  a case 
in  which  life  had  been  lost  under  such  circumstances. 
But  as  hearsay,  if  it  points  to  anything,  it  points  to  this, 
that  Chinese  who  have  committed  offences  sometimes 
threaten  other  Chinese  with  vengeance  if  they  divulge 
the  facts.  Perhaps  white  men  do  the  same  thing. 

Again,  “ A man  was  killed  by  accident  and  he  (some 
“ other  man,  it  is  to  be  presumed)  was  notified  that  he 
“must  pay  $1,200.”  This  is  hearsay  throughout.  It  may 
be  that  the  friends  of  the  deceased  offered  to  compromise 
the  case,  to  make  no  complaint,  upon  payment  of  $1,200, 


238 


A BAND  OF  RUFFIANS. 


It  may  be  that  the  demand  for  $1,200  was  a blackmail- 
ing operation. 

Now,  there  is  nothing  certainly  in  the  evidence  that  is 
not  susceptible  of  ready  explanation.  One  can  only 
wonder  that  the  honorable  members  of  the  California 
Senate  did  not  probe  the  matter  further,  but  perhaps 
they  found  here,  as  in  the  case  of  the  presidents  of  the 
six  companies,  that  the  effort  would  not  lead  to  a result 
which  would  serve  their  purposes. 

This  witness,  Mr.  Rogers,  when  called  before  the  Con- 
gressional commission,  and  examined  by  Mr.  Pixley, 
gave  the  following  evidence  ; — ‘ 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  anything  in  regard  to  the  exist- 
“ ence  of  tribunals  among  the  Chinese  ; and  can  you 
“ state  any  instance  in  which  you  had  a right  to  suppose 
“ that  the  transaction  was  governed  by  these  Chinese 
“ secret  associations  if  they  exist } A.  Some  two  or 
“ three  years  ago  we  had  an  institution,  (whether  it  exists 
“to-day  or  not  I do  not  know,)  called  the  Hip  Ye  Tung 
“ society,  and  we  used  every  means  and  exertion  to  break 
“ it  up,  and  tried  to  find  out  the  bottom  of  it  but  failed. 
“ That  that  society  did  exist  at  that  time  there  is  no 
“ doubt,  but  we  were  met  by  so  many  obstacles  that  it  was 
“ impossible  to  ferret  it  out. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  that  that  institution  Has  been 
“ broken  up  ? A.  I think  that  it  has  been  broken  up 
“under  that  name.  I cannot  state  the  name.  It  was 
“given  to  me  yesterday.  I think  the  same  institution  ex- 
“ ists  under  another  name. 

“ Q.  Can  you  name  to  the  commission  any  incident 
“ v/here  crime  has  been  protected,  or  money  has  been  ex- 
“ acted,  by  them  or  any  other  secret  tribunal  ? A.  Only 
“ from  rumor ; nothing  that  I could  give  of  my  own 
“ knowledge.” 

' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  230. 


ITS  ORIGIN  AND  PURPOSES. 


239 


It  is  well  known  that  a society  called  Hip  Ye  Tung  did 
exist  in  San  Francisco,  but  there  is  no  proof  of  it  in  the 
foregoing  evidence.  Still  less  is  there  any  proof  that  the 
society,  exercised  the  power  of  a quasi  government.  It 
may  have  been  a band  of  criminals,  of  gamblers,  of  pro- 
prietors of  brothels.  To  call  it  a secret  tribunal  would 
be  forcing  language  to  the  last  point. 

A better  light  is  thrown  upon  the  Hip  Ye  Tung  by  the 
evidence  of  another  witness,  Alfred  Clarke.  As  I may 
refer  to  his  testimony  in  another  place,  I remark  here  only 
that  he  described  it  as  an  organization  connected  with 
the  control  of  prostitutes,  to  enforce  the  subordination 
of  prostitutes  to  their  importers  ; an  association  of  ruffians 
who  might  be  expected  to  use  any  means  whatever  to  in- 
timidate credulous  men,  and  still  more  credulous  women, 
of  their  own  stock,  but  who  cannot  by  any  process  of 
reasoning  be  called  the  administrators  of  a quasi  govern- 
ment, the  pillars  of  an  imperiuin  iu  imperio. 

Without  pursuing  this  subject  further,  it  may  be  said 
with  justice,  as  I believe,  although  the  evidence  is  sug- 
gestive of  the  facts  rather  than  direct  and  positive,  that 
there  is  in  California  a considerable  number  of  lawless 
Chinese.  Some  of  these  doubtless  have  learned  their 
evil  ways  in  our  own  country,  in  the  wild  life  of  the  min- 
ing regions,  where,  in  times  now  happily  passed,  crime  was 
not  unknown  among  the  various  nationalities  represented; 
and  others  in  the  midst  of  the  vice  of  the  centres  of  pop- 
ulation in  California.  Others  again  belong  doubtless  to 
the  class  of  fugitive  criminals  who  have  been  driven  out 
of  their  .own  country  by  fear  of  the  law,  or  to  find  a free 
field  for  their  avocations.  To  whichever  class  we  may  as- 
sign them  we  cannot  deny  that  they  find  among  us  a 
large  degree  of  immunity  in  wrong  doing.  There  has 
been  made  by  the  State  of  California  and  by  the  city  of 
San  Francisco  no  serious  effort  to  organize  a system 


240 


FAILURES  OF  LEGISLATION'. 


fitted  to  meet  the  difficulties  occasioned  by  the  presence 
of  a large  exotic  population,  differing  from  ourselves  in 
language  and  habits  of  life.  The  State  and  the  city 
should  educate  and  employ  permanently  a corps  of  inter- 
preters, some  of  whom  should  be  attached  to  the  offices 
of  the  superintendents  of  police,  others  to  the  courts  and 
still  others  to  the  offices  of  superior  administration.  Not  a 
few  Chinese  speaking  policemen  should  be  employed. 
These  in  all  their  respective  grades  should  be  so  well 
paid  and  so  certain  of  permanent  employment  as  to 
secure  continuous  and  faithful  service.  But  neither  the 
State  of  California,  nor  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  nor  any 
county  or  town  of  the  State  possesses  such  an  interpreter. 
The  police  offices  and  the  courts  depend  upon  persons 
casually  employed  to  do  such  work.  At  one  time  it  is  a 
missionary,  called  away  from  his  proper  duties ; at  an- 
other a half  educated  Chinese  ; at  another  some  one  of 
our  people  who  has  picked  up  a smattering  of  Chi- 
nese. It  is  simply  impossible  that  government  can  be 
well  administered  under  these  circumstances. 

I venture  here  to  make  a comparison.  For  fourteen 
years  I was  consul  general  at  Shanghai.  There  exist 
there  three  districts,  adjoining  one  another,  but  delim- 
ited by  certain  natural  boundaries.  Within  these  are 
resident  a foreign  population  of  3,000  persons,  and  a 
native  population  of  200,000.  The  management  of 
police,  &c.,  in  all  these  districts  falls  upon  the  foreign 
residents,  for  the  districts  were  originally  set  apart  for 
them,  and  they  instituted  their  own  measures  for  the 
preservation  of  order,  and  of  health,  the  making  of  roads, 
&c.,  and  the  Chinese  who  reside  there  have  come  in 
since  and  have  been  required,  by  concert  of  action  be- 
tween the  foreign  and  native  officials,  to  submit  to  local 
regulations.  The  affairs  of  police,  &c.,  and  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice, move  on  very  satisfactorily.  The  whole 


EXPERIENCE  A T SHANGHAE  AND  HONG  KONG.  241 


district  is  as  clean  and  well  ordered  as  the  best  parts  of 
San  Francisco.  Justice  is  administered  by  a native 
magistrate,  assisted  by  official  interpreters  from  the  sev- 
eral consulates,  and  upon  the  criminal  side,  at  least,  no 
occasion  for  complaint  arises. 

Take  the  case  again  at  Hong  Kong.  The  number  of 
the  foi'cign  and  native  population  is  not  much  different 
from  that  at  Shanghae.  It  is  a British  colony,  and  the 
administration  of  affairs  is  simplified  in  consequence. 
Every  traveler  will  be  able  to  tell  how  perfectly  the 
streets  are  kept,  and  how  secure  are  life  and  property. 
We  do  not  hear  there,  as  we  do  not  at  Shanghae,  of  se- 
cret tribunals,  &c.  Reasonably  intelligent  efforts  are 
made  in  those  places  to  render  the  organization  which 
deals  with  the  Chinese,  competent  for  its  work,  and  su- 
perior to  temptation,  and  the  results  have  been  such  as 
to  establish  the  fact  that  the  Chinese  are  easily  governed. 

Scattered  through  the  evidence  taken  before  the  Sen- 
ate committee,  are  allegations  that  in  some  instances 
papers  have  been  posted  in  San  Francisco  and  Sacra- 
mento offering  to  pay  a price  for  the  murder  of  an  indi- 
vidual named.  I have  never  heard  of  such  work  in 
Shanghae  or  in  Hong  Kong,  much  less  in  any  city  un- 
der Chinese  domination.  There  is  evidence  also  that  a 
witness  who  had  reported  against  and  caused  the  arrest 
of  some  person  who  had  murdered  one  of  our  country- 
men, was  killed  outright.  I have  not  heard  of  such  a 
thing  in  China.  We  can  only  conclude  that  our  system 
is  defective,  and  that  it  is  time  for  Californian  legislators 
to  give  practical  attention  to  the  control  of  the  Chinese, 
instead  of  limiting  their  efforts  to  the  preparation  of 
measures  like  the  cue-cutting  ordinance,  the  cubic-feet- 
of-air  law,  &c.,  directed  not  against  offenders,  but  against 
the  Chinese  as  a class.  There  should  be  as  much  wis- 
dom in  San  Francisco  as  in.  Shanghae  or  Hong  Kong  ; 

p 


242  EXPERIENCE  A T SHANGHAE  AND  HONG  KONG. 


and  if  the  30,000  Chinese  here  cannot  be  controlled  by 
all  the  force  of  our  society,  while  mere  handfuls  of  for- 
eigners control  them  in  the  latter  cities,  we  must  acknowl- 
edge that  there  is  something  radically  defective  or  ine- 
lastic in  our  institutions. 


PART  III.— CHAPTER  VI. 


OBJECTIONS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  ADVANCED  AGAINST 
THE  CHINESE.  THAT  THEY  WILL  NOT  ASSIMI- 
LATE WITH  OUR  PEOPLE. 

The  views  of  the  Chinese  on  this  matter.  .The  doctrine  of  Confucius  that 
all  on  earth  are  of  one  family.  The  teachings  of  Christ.  Virtue  the 
right  basis  of  government.  Treatment  of  foreigners  in  China  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  Chinese  in  America.  The  “root”  of  the  ill- 
treatment  of  the  Chinese.  Native  Americans  responsible.  American 
race  intolerance.  Mr.  Swift’s  views.  “Better  dissolve  treaty  relations.” 
What  is  meant  by  assimilation.  The  Chinese  intelligent,  frugal,  in- 
dustrious and  peaceable.  Their  treatment  different  from  that  accorded 
to  other  immigrants.  The  object  is  to  deal  justly  with  them  and  to 
leave  assimilation  to  work  itself  out.  The  alleged  failure  should  grat- 
ify anti-Chinese  partisans.  What  is  justice?  The  real  danger  lies  in 
departure  from  sound  rules.  The  social  question  outside  of  legisla- 
tion. Efforts  of  the  Chinese  to  adopt  Western  methods.  The  edu- 
cational mission.  Views  of  Prince  Kung. 

When  one  hears  frequently  reiterated  the  declaration 
that  the  Chinese  will  not  assimilate  Avith  our  people,  he 
is  likely,  if  he  is  a person  who  is  desirous  of  forming  in- 
telligent opinions  and  of  being  just  to  all  men,  to  inquire 
how  this  matter  appears  to  the  Chinese,  and  what  they 
have  to  say  about  it.  For  undoubtedly  there  are  two 
sides  of  this  question  as  of  most  others. 

I am  able  to  present  the  view  of  the  Chinese  from 
the  pen  of  on©  of  their  number  who  was  resident,  when 
he  wrote  it  out,  in  America.  It  is  a paper  worthy  to  be 
read,  because  it  is  simply  framed  and  yet  pertinent  and 
forcible.  I commend  it  to  my  readers,  moreover,  as  not 
in  any  way  false  to  what  I believe  to  be  the  ideas  enter- 
tained by  many  of  the  Chinese; — ^ 

‘ Ch.  and  the  U.  S.,  p.  59. 


244 


THE  CHINESE  WILL  NOT  ASSIMILA  TE. 


“ From  the  time  of  Pwan-ku  till  the  present,  a period 
“of  many  tens  of  thousands  of  years,  there  have  been 
“born  among  us  a host  of  sages.  Gifted  by  Heaven, 
they  attained  to  exalted  excellence.  Their  beneficent 
“ influence  extended  not  alone  to  those  who  were  near,  it 
“shed  peace  upon  the  nations.  Still  later  Heaven  pro- 
“ duced  a sage  pre-eminent  in  his  excellence,  Confucius, 
“the  great  teacher  of  China.  He  combined  Avhat  was 
“ greatest  and  best  in  all  that  preceded  him  and  became 
“the  exemplar  of  all  ages.  As  to  things  on  high,  he 
“showed  men  the  peace  of  heaven;  as  to  things  on  earth 
“he  taught  them  virtue.  The  sages  had  the  wisdom  to 
“ discover  that  all  men  on  earth  are  one  family.  Now 
“what  is  meant  in  styling  all  men  on  earth  one  family.? 
“ It  is,  that  the  people  of  China,  and  of  countries  foreign 
“ to  it,  are  all  embraced,  as  it  were,  in  one  great  circle  of 
“ kindred,  with  its  parents  and  children,  its  elder  and 
“younger  branches,  its  bonds  of  unity;  the  pervading 
“principle  love;  no  one  member  debased,  no  one  treated 
“with  dislike.  Again  after  several  centuries  Heaven 
“ brought  forth  Jesus,  and  ordained  Him  to  be  a teacher 
“in  foreign  lands.  This  Jesus  also  taught  mankind  the 
“fear  of  Heaven.  He  showed  that  the  chief  end  is  to 
“ pray  for  eternal  life.  He  comprehended  the  reverence 
“ due  to  Heaven,  and  the  obligations  of  virtue.  He  was 
“ in  accord  with  the  holy  men  of  China.  He  looked 
“ on  all  beneath  the  sky  as  one  great  family.  He  did  not 
“ permit  the  separation  of  men  into  classes,  to  be  loved 
“or  despised.  But,  if  the  religion  of  Jesus  really  teaches 
“the  fear  of  Heaven,  how  does  it  come  that  the  people 
“ of  your  honorable  country  trample  upon  and  hate  the 
“race  which  Heaven  loves,  the  Chinese.?  Should  not 
“ this  be  called  rebellion  against  Heaven.?  And  how  is 
“it  possible  to  receive  this  as  of  the  religion  of  Heaven.” 

This  is  a plain  argument,  and  will  be  recognized  as  a 


A CHINESE  ARGUMENT. 


245 


forcible  one.  It  will  surprise  /nany  as  coming  from  a 
Chinaman.  The  next  paragraph,  however,  breathes  a 
still  more  exalted  tone,  and  shows  a wider  intelligence. 

“ The  wise  men  of  China  plant  at  the  very  foundation 
“ of  government  the  idea  of  virtue,  not  that  of  physical 
“power,  just  as  do  those  who  profess  the  religion  of 
“Christ.  Virtue  is  that  which  commands  the  intuitive 
“submission  of  the  human  will.  Great  vessels  of  war 
“and  powerful  artillery  may  destroy  cities  and  devastate. 
“ a country.  That  is  physical  power.  But  moral  power 
“ is  essentially  different.  The  noblest  illustration  of  moral 
“ power  is  the  teacher  at  the  head  of  his  school.  It  is  the 
“spirit  of  man  which  deserves  respect,  not  his  form.  If 
“ the  spirit  be  noble  and  good,  although  the  man  be  poor 
“and  humble,  his  features  homely  and  his  apparel  mean, 
“ we  honor  and  love  him.  If  the  spirit  be  not  so,  though 
“ the  man  have  wealth  and  position,  though  his  counten- 
“ ance  be  beautiful  and  his  clothing  rich,  we  regard  him 
“with  contempt.  But  we  affirm  that  the  people  of  your 
“honorable  country  dislike  the  Chinese,  because  they 
“ see  the  plain  appearance  and  the  patched  clothes  of 
“ our  poor,  and  do  not  think  how  many  spirits  there  are 
“ among  us  whom  they  could  respect  and  love.” 

There  is  nothing  in  all  this  savoring  of  prejudice  against 
ourselves.  It  is  the  language  of  a man  earnestly  re- 
monstrating against  contumelious  treatment.  It  is  lan- 
guage which  could  only  fall  from  the  lips  of  a person 
full  of  a certain  charity.  “ How  many  spirits  are  there 
“among  us  whom  you  could  respect  and  love.”  And 
why  not  1 Can  it  be  otherwise  when  the  people  who 
come  to  us  have  possessed,  as  our  writer  states,  the  lessons 
of  sages  whom  the  whole  world  has  learned  to  admire  ; 
have  enjoyed  a settled  government  for  many  centuries  ; 
have  attained  to  no  mean  development  of  the  arts.  Are 
they  contemptible  men  merely,  these  Chinamen  who 


246 


A CHINESE  ARGUMENT. 


number  a third  of  the  human  race.  Is  there  no  virtue 
in  us  that  we  cannot  make  it  our  work  to  learn  v/hethcr 
there  are  not,  in  fact,  many  spirits  among  them  “ whom 
“ we  could  respect  and  love.” 

“ China,”  as  our  author  continues,  “ possesses  a trade 
“ with  all  foreign  lands.  When  a man  from  your  country 
“ arrives  in  China,  none  of  our  officers  or  people  treat 
“ him  otherwise  than  with  respect  and  kindness.  When 
“he  is  defrauded  or  injured,  if  the  matter  is  of  slight 
“consequence,  the  offender  is  fined  or  beaten  ; in  a grave 
“case,  he  forfeits  his  life.  Even  if  there  are  no  witnesses, 
“the  officers  must  thoroughly  inquire  into  the  circum- 
“ stances.  In  murders  and  brawls,  if  the  criminal  be  not 
“ discovered,  the  magistrate  is  called  to  account  and  de- 
“ graded.  When  a foreigner  commits  a deed  of  violence, 
“ a spirit  of  great  leniency  and  care  is  manifested  upon 
“ the  trial  of  the  case.  This  is  not  because  of  a lack  of 
“ power  to  punish,but  we  sincerely  dread  to  mar  the  beauti- 
“ful  idea  of  gentleness  and  benignity  torvard  strangers 
“ from  afar.” 

“Now,  why  is  it  that  when  our  people  come  to  your 
“country,  instead  of  being  welcomed  with  respect  and 
“ kindness,  they  are,  on  the  contrary,  treated  with  con- 
“ tempt  and  evil } It  happens  even  that  many  lose  their 
“lives  at  the  hands  of  lawless  wretches.  Yet,  although 
“ there  are  Chinese  witnesses  of  the  crime,  their  testimony 
“is  rejected.  The  result  is  our  abandonment  to  be  mur- 
“dered  and  our  business  to  be  ruined.  How  hard  is  it 
“for  the  spirit  to  bear  such  trials  } It  is  true  that  some 
“ persons  hold  that  the  Chinese  are  of  no  advantage  to 
“ the  country.  But  can  it  be  affirmed  that  we  are  of  no 
“ advantage  ? And,  besides,  it  is  to  be  considered  that 
“we  are  universally  a law-abiding  people,  and  that  our 
“ conduct  is  different  from  the  lawlessness  and  violence 
“ of  some  other  foreigners.  Were  it  not  that  each  so  little 


A PLEA  FOR  BETTER  TREATMENT. 


247 


“ understands  the  other’s  tongue,  and  mutual  kind  senti- 
“ments  are  not  communicated,  would  not  more  cordial 
“ intercourse  exist  ?” 

This  still  is  not  the  language  of  prejudice.  It  is  a well 
told,  but  kindly  declaration  of  ill  treatment  and  a pathetic 
appeal  for  “more  cordial  intercourse.”  It  is  not  a refusal 
to  adopt  our  manners  and  Avays.  It  is  the  longing  expres- 
sion of  a desire  for  justice  as  a common  standing  ground 
with  us.  It  describes  an  ideal  condition  of  things  in 
China,  but  the  ideal  is  one  which  the  government  of 
China  has  done  much  to  inculcate  among  its  people.  It 
is  a broad  declaration  of  the  peaceable  tendencies  of  the 
Chinese,  and  this  no  man  may  gain-say.  Their  chief  re- 
proach among  the  nations  is  a lack  of  adaptation  for  war, 
and  of  capacity  to  defend  themselves  against  attack. 
Who  can  say  whether  if  those  among  us  had  shown  a less 
peaceful  temper,  and  had  resented  their  injuries  with 
quick  falling  blows,  they  would  not  have  commanded  re- 
spect from  classes  who  regard  a quiet  disposition  as  an 
indication  of  weakness  which  may  be  safely  trampled 
upon.  The  Negro  among  us  was  a quiet  man  too,  and 
he  paid  the  price  of  his  gentle  qualities  in  generations  of 
bondage,  and  we  the  price  of  our  wrong  doings  toAvards 
him  in  years  of  fearful  Avar. 

The  Avriter  of  the  paper  from  Avhich  I have  quoted, 
proceeds  to  a more  detailed  statement  of  the  injuries 
Avhich  have  been  inflicted  on  his  people.  I shall  cite, 
hoAvever,  only  one  paragraph  more. 

“ The  class  that  engages  in  gold  digging  is  made  up,  as 
“a  whole,  of  poor  people.  We  go  on  board  the  ships. 
“There  Ave  find  ourselves  unaccustomed  to  Avinds  and 
“Avaves,  and  to  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  We  eat 
“ little,  Ave  grieve  much.  Our  appearance  is  plain,  and  our 
“clothing  poor.  At  once  Avhen  we  leave  the  vessel  the 
“ boatmen  extort  heavy  prices  ; all  kinds  of  conveyances 


248 


A CHINESE  ARGUMENT. 


“ require  from  us  more  than  the  usual  charges  ; as  we  go 
“ on  our  way  we  are  pushed,  and  kicked,  and  struck  by 
“the  drunken  and  the  brutal ; but  we  cannot  speak  your 
“language,  Ave  bear  our  injuries  and  pass  on.  Even 
“ when  within  doors,  rude  boys  throw  sand,  and  bad  men 
“ stones  after  us.  Passers  by,  instead  of  preventing  these 
“ provocations,  add  to  them  by  their  laughter.  We  go  up  to 
“ the  mines ; there  the  collectors  of  licenses  make  unlawful 
“ exactions,  and  robbers  strip,  plunder,  wound,  and  even 
“ murder  some  of  us.  Thus  we  are  plunged  into  number- 
“ less  .uncommiserated  wrongs.  But  the  first  root  of  them 
“ all  is  that  very  degradation  and  contempt  of  the  Chinese 
“ as  a race  of  which  we  have  spoken,  which  begins  with 
“ your  honorable  nation,  and  which  you  communicate  to 
“ people  of  other  countries,  Avho  carry  it  to  greater 
“lengths.  Now,  what  injury  have  we  Chinese  done  to 
“ your  honorable  people  that  they  should  thus  turn  upon 
“ us  and  make  us  drink  the  cup  of  wrong  even  to  its  last 
“ poisonous  dregs.” 

Aside  from  the  tone  of  patient  remonstrance  which 
characterizes  this  appeal  for  better  treatment  and  for 
the  recognition  of  brotherhood,  there  occurs  in  it,  in  the 
last  paragraph,  an  intimation  that  it  is  not  the  class  of 
foreigners  who  have  paved  the  way  for  their  abuse.  It 
is  boldly  and  distinctly  asserted  that  contempt  for  the 
Chinese  “ begins  with  your  honorable  nation,”  and  that 
the  example  which  we  set  is  “ bettered”  by  the  people  of 
other  countries.  I am  free  to  confess  that  the  author 
of  the  appeal  may  be  right  in  this  statement.  I know 
of  no  people  who  have  seemed  to  me  to  have  so  many 
prejudices  of  race  as  ourselves.  Whether  it  is  due  to  our 
long  contests  with  tribes  of  savages,  the  natives  of  the 
vast  territory  which  we  have  occupied  ; or  to  the  institu- 
tion of  slavery  Avhich  took  upon  itself  among  us,  the 
very  worst  features  which  slavery  has  ever  exhibited  ; 


/?AC£  PREJUDICES  IN  AMERICA. 


249 


whether  it  is  a pride  of  stock  stimulated  by  our  suc- 
cessful conquests  over  the  many  difficulties  attending 
the  settlement  of  a new,  and  in  some  respects,  an  inhos- 
pitable region  ; or  whether  all  these  have  combined  to 
produce  the  result,  it  would  seem  that  a Negro,  in  times 
now  passing  by  as  we  may  hope,  or  a Chinaman  still, 
meets  with  a less  ready  reception  from  us  than  in  any  of 
the  European  nations.  Forgetful  of  our  Asiatic  origin 
and  descent,  forgetful  that  our  Saviour  bore  the  dark 
hue  of  his  nativity,  we  seem  to  cling  to  such  prejudices 
with  a tenacity  that  can  only  be  loosened  by  rude  siiocks. 
And  all  the  while  we  cry  out, with  what  to  Heaven  must 
appear  the  grossest  delusion  and  hypocrisy,  that  these 
other  races  resist  our  influences — that  they  will  not  as- 
similate. We  hold  them  all  at  arms  length  and  then 
throttle  them  because  they  will  not  approach  nearer  to 
us.  This  is  our  boasted  liberality  and  generosity. 

Take  up  the  mirror,  my  countrymen,  which  the 
despised  Chinaman  has  presented  to  your  eyes.  With- 
draw your  gaze  for  a moment  from  the  “ plain  appear- 
“ ance  and  poor  clothing”  of  the  man  who  holds  it,  and 
mark  what  you  may  observe. 

I am  well  aware  that  my  own  remarks  on  this  subject 
may  be  held  up  to  derision,  that  it  is  not  a likely  thing 
that  persons  who  have  indulged  in  prejudices  will  admit 
the  fact  simply  because  they  are  told  that  such  is  their 
habit.  To  this  I have  a few  words  to  present  in  answer. 
I shall  take  them  from  the  mouth  of  a witness  before  the 
Congressional  commission,  who  has  been  presented  to 
the  nation  as  a representative  Californian.  I allude  to 
Mr.  John  F.  Swift,  of  San  Francisco,  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners recently  appointed  to  readjust  our  relations  with 
China. 


250 


Mli.  SWIFT’S  VIEWS. 


He  said  ; — '' 

“ They  cannot  assimilate,  so  that  the  next  generation, 
“ and  the  one  after,  and  all  the  generations,  will  be  equally 
“alien  and  ignorant,  without  speaking  of  the  present 
“ men,  the  individuals  who  happen  to  make  up  this  com- 
“ munity  now,  so  that  practically  if  we  could  see  one 
“hundred  or  five  hundred  years  from  now,  we  should  find 
“ the  same  uneducated  class  of  Chinamen,  not  speaking 
“ our  language,  here  temporarily.  The  number  is  kept 
“ up,  not  by  births,  but  by  their  importations,  those  here 
“ dying  or  going  back  in  their  old  age  ; so  that  they  are 
“ always* the  same  degraded,  ignorant  class  of  people, 
“ constantly  striking  against  the  sentiment  of  our  people, 
“ always  hostile  to  it,  always  growing  and  increasing,  and 
“ more  ugly  and  angry,  having  no  interest  in  the  country, 
“ utterly  valueless  for  defensive  purposes,  surely,  when  the 
“ nation  is  fighting,  as  it  must  be  at  some  time,  for  no 
“ nation  can  be  exempt  from  Avar.  The  strong  prejudice 
“ that  has  grown  against  them  in  this  State  is  evidenced 
“ by  the  facts  which  have  been  proven,  which  are  un- 
“ doubtedly  true.  I heard  part  of  the  testimony  of  the 
“ Reverend  Mr.  Loomis,  Avho  has  just  testified.  What  he 
“said  is  true  as  to  the  strong  prejudice  of  this  commu- 
“nity  ; it  is  a fact.  It  may  be  disagreeable  ; you  may 
“ think  it  is  a pity ; but  it  is  human  nature  and  it  is  our 
“nature.  This  prejudice  has  grown.  It  is  ten  times  as 
“strong  as  it  Avas  ten  years  ago.  In  1852  the  Chinamen 
“Avere  allowed  to  turn  out  and  celebrate  the  P'ourth  of 
“July,  and  it  Avas  considered  a happy  thing.  In  1862 
“theyAvould  have  been  mobbed.  In  1872  they  AV'ould 
“ have  been  burned  at  the  stake.  That  element  to  the 
“ statesman  is  surely  a very  important  element  to  deal 
“ Avith.  We  cannot  overcome  it ; it  groAvs  and  it  must 
“ be  treated  as  a fact.” 


Rep.  Cli.  Im.,  p.  952. 


EXTREME  VIEWS. 


251 


Now  all  this  is  the  language  of  extravagance  and  de- 
clamation. It  is  too  extreme,  too  highly  colored.  If  I 
have  spoken  strongly,  this  witness  has  outdone  me  a 
thousand  times.  But  his  talk  indicates  at  least  what  he 
feels.  It  is  said  that  you  cannot  tell  what  a man  is  from 
what  he  says  of  himself,  but  you  may  do  so  from  what 
he  says  of  others.  He  has  spoken  unadvisedly  of  the 
Chinamen  and  he  has  spoken  unadvisedly  of  the  people 
of  California.  The  former  are  not  the  ugly,  angry  class 
which  he  depicts.  The  latter  are  not  the  passionate 
mob  which  he  describes.  But  he  is  himself  full  of  preju- 
dice, and  what  is  true  of  him  is  true  of  many  others. 
He  suggests  what  statesmen  .should  do  and  he  has  been 
taken  at  his  woi'd.  Educated,  intelligent  and  enlightened 
according  to  his  own  views,  he  winds  up  his  evidence 
with  a broad  proposition.  What  it  is,  he  may  say  for 
himself ; — ' 

“ Q.  In  view  of  all  the  evils  which  you  have  stated  here 
“ in  connection  with  this  immigration,  would  you  be  willing 
“ now  to  abrogate  all  treaty  relations  between  the  Uni- 
“ ted  States  and  China  in  order  to  stop  this  immigration  1 
“A.  It  cannot  be  stopped  in  any  other  way. 

“ Q.  You  would  do  that  sir  A.  Yes,  sir.” 

That  is  to  say,  our  witness  has  become  so  impressed 
with  a given  view,  has  allowed  himself  to  so  far  magnify 
what  he  considers  evils,  and  to  shut  his  eyes  to  economi- 
cal considerations,  and  considerations  of  duty,  that  he 
proposes  deliberately  to  deny  the  “inalienable  right  of 
“ man  to  change  his  home  and  allegiance,”  to  throw  over- 
board the  traditions  of  our  nation  in  this  respect,  and 
to  draw  between  us  and  the  Chinese,  a wall  of  seclusion 
more  effective  than  the  wall  which  they  erected  centuries 
ago  against  the  incursions  of  barbarians.  Could  human 
prejudice  go  further.? 


‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  968. 


252 


WIIA  T IS  ASS/M/LA  TION? 


It  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  longer  upon  the  proposi- 
tion that  there  are  two  sides  of  this  question  of  assimila- 
tion, and  that  an  intelligent  doubt  may  be  expressed 
whether  the  Chinese  ai'e  more  disposed  to  keep  at  a dis- 
tance from  us  or  we  to  keep  them  at  a distance. 

But  what,  after  all,  is  meant  by  the  vague  phrase  that 
the  Chinese  will  not  assimilate.  It  has  been  iterated  and 
reiterated,  but  is  it  entirely  certain  that  any  one  knows 
what  is  meant .?  Has  it  not  owed  some  part  of  the  influ- 
ence which  it  has  exerted  to  its  very  uncertainty  and  in- 
definiteness } I claim  for  the  Chinese  only  that  they 
shall  be  treated  with  even  handed  justice,  and  this  claim 
is  met  at  once  by  the  mysterious  declaration  that  they 
will  not  assimilate.  What  is  it  then  which  is  wanted  in 
this  direction  t 

We  have  seen  that  the  Chinese  work  in  our  fields,  in 
our  factories  and  upon  our  public  works.  They  have 
been  described  for  us  as  freemen,  as  industrious,  patient, 
pains  taking,  faithful,  skillful,  frugal,  peaceable  freemen. 
Can  one  ask  more  in  these  directions  } Their  competi- 
tion is  dreaded  because  they  possess  many  of  the  quali- 
ties which  make  laborers  useful  to  others  and  to  them- 
selves. They  might  lose  some  of  these  valuable  charac- 
teristics and  assimilate  more  closely  in  doing  so  to  a part 
of  the  population  of  California.  Would  we  have  them 
do  this  ? 

We  have  seen  that  their  merchants  are  shrewd,  enter- 
prising and  honorable.  We  have  found  them  upon  ’change 
respected,  even  courted.  In  business  relations,  then,  as 
in  labor,  they  have  not  failed. 

We  have  seen  that  they  are  open  to  the  truths  of  re- 
vealed religion.  The  testimony  of  a minister  who  has 
been  among  them,  and  among  many  other  nationalities, 
is,  that  when  religious  principles  are  brought  to  bear  upon 
them  they  appreciate  and  exemplify  them  “just  like  other 
“ people.” 


WHAT  IS  ASSIMILATIOH? 


253 


We  have  seen  that  in  face  of  many  special  temptations 
crime  is  not  more  rampant  among-  them  than  among  our- 
selves. 

We  have  seen  that  they  care  for  their  o-\vn  sick  and 
needy. 

We  have  seen  that  they  settle  their  differences  and 
difficulties  by  friendly  negotiation  and  arbitration. 

We  have  seen  that  they  appreciate  the  proposition  that 
in  the  universe  there  is  physical  power  and  moral  power, 
that  the  school  teacher  is  the  noblest  illustration  of  the 
latter,  and  that  it  is  virtue  which,  better  than  “ great  ships 
“ of  war  or  powerful  artillery,”  commands  “ the  intuitive 
“ submission  of  the  human  will.” 

We  have  seen  them  pleading  for  us  to  believe  that 
“there  are  spirits  among  them  whom  we  could  respect 
“ and  love,”  if  we  would  but  look  beyond  their  “ plain  ap- 
“ pearance  and  the  patched  clothes  which  they  are 
“ obliged  to  wear.” 

Do  we  ask  more  than  this  ? Do  we  demand  that  men 
of  a race  whose  traditions  are  different  from  ours,  whose 
education  and  training  are  peculiar  to  themselves,  should 
suddenly  cast  off  devotion  to  their  past  and  meet  us  on 
a common  ground  of  social  intercourse,  their  heads  un- 
shaven, their  cues  cut  off,  their  bodies  encased  in  tight 
fitting  garments,  that  they  shall  eat  potatoes  rather  than 
rice,  and  drink  wine  instead  of  tea  ? What  then  are 
these  externals  that  we  should  pay  so  mmeh  attention  to 
them  ? If  the  Chinese  fulfill  the  purposes  of  life,  if  they 
have  a decent  regard  for  the  future  existence,  must  we 
still  show  discontent  because  their  dress  and  some  of 
their  customs  indicate  their  origin  ? 

How  is  it  that  we  treat  other  immigrants,  and  what  do 
we  expect  from  them  ? Do  we  ask  the  clod-hopper  from 
Ireland,  the  operative  from  England,  the  peasant  from 
France,  or  Italy,  or  Germany,  into  our  drawing-rooms,  and 


254 


UNITY  OF  HUMAN  RACES. 


invite  them  to  marry  our  daughters  ? Do  we  not  admit 
their  children  to  our  public  schools  ? Do  we  not  encour- 
age them  to  take  an  interest  in  our  institutions  by  mak- 
ing them  citizens  ? Do  we  treat  the  Chinaman  in  such 
manner  ? 

There  are  questions  in  regard  to  race  which  I do  not 
pretend  to  solve.  That  our  origin  was  one  I do  not 
doubt.  That  differences  which  have  grown  up  have  re- 
sulted mainly  from  divergences  of  climate  I believe. 
That  institutions  and  systems  mold  the  character  of  a 
people  I feel  sure.  That  our  manhood  is  different,  that 
there  is  not  one  common  soul  of  humanity,  that  there  is 
not  one  Providence  for  all,  I deny.  And  where  is  the 
difficulty  in  resting  right  here  } Why  have  we  to  make 
a better  plan  for  the  Almighty  than  He  has  made  for 
Himself.^  Can  we  not  be  just  above  all  things  and  leave 
consequences  to  take  care  of  themselves  We  no  longer 
burn  men  at  the  stake  or  tear  them  limb  from  limb 
because  they  do  not  believe  in  the  same  dogmas  of  reli- 
gion as  we  do.  Must  we  refuse  to  allow  them  to  wear 
their  hair  and  their  clothes  as  they  like,  to  desire  that 
their  bones  shall  rest  with  those  of  their  kindred  ? 

It  is  possible  to  give  free  rein  to  the  imagination,  and 
to  anticipate  a flood  of  Chinese  descending  upon  our 
coast,  as  the  Pluns  and  Vandals  poured  down  upon 
Rome,  but  armed  with  the  implements  of  peace  rather 
than  those  of  war.  If  the  Huns  and  Vandals  had  so  ap- 
proached the  Imperial  City,  the  genius  of  the  race  would 
have  found  work  for  them  to  do,  and  might  have  utilized 
them  to  spread  further  its  own  domination  and  rule.  It 
is  possible  for  us  to  say  that  an  overpress  of  peaceful  in- 
surgents may  be  inconvenient.  But  if  so,  why  has  it 
not  occurred  to  men  who  use  the  non-assimilation  propo- 
sition, that,  so  far  as  it  has  any  merit,  it  tends  to  decrease 
the  dangers  which  they  have  pictured.  If  we  do  not 


RIGHT  TREATHENT DEMAHDED. 


255 


want  the  Chinamen  among  us,  why  do  we  complain  be- 
cause their  love  of  native  land,  leads  them  to  return  to 
their  own  shores.  If  we  congratulate  ourselves  that  the 
broad  Pacific  rolls  its  floods  between  the  seat  of  this 
dreaded  stock  and  ourselves,  why  should  we  grieve  that 
there  are  other  barriers  between  us  arising  from  differ- 
ences of  education  partly,  partly  from  differences  of  a 
deeper  kind  engendered  by  differences  of  climate  and 
of  habit } 

I have  said  that  I ask  for  justice,  only,  for  this  despised 
race.  What  does  justice  consist  in.^  It  does  not  demand 
the  breaking  down  rudely  of  social  barriers,  but  it  does 
demand  the  admission  of  men  to  a place  in  our  estimation 
graded  according  to  their  merits  and  their  virtues.  It 
does  not  demand  that  we  should  risk  our  safety  and 
theirs  by  admitting  them  to  a share  in  the  control  of  gov- 
ernment in  advance  of  their  education  up  to  the  require- 
ments of  intelligent  citizenship,  but  it  does  demand  that 
we  should  offer  them  opportunities,  and  encourage  them 
to  fit  themselves  for  citizenship.  It  condemns  the  course 
of  legislation,  or  of  custom,  in  California  which  excludes 
their  children  from  the  schools.  It  condemns  the  syste- 
matic misrepresentation  of  the  Chinese  which  has  gone  far 
to  mislead  the  nation.  It  demands  that  the  government 
should  be  far-reaching  and  consistent  in  its  efforts  to  de- 
fend and  to  elevate  the  Chinaman.  It  sees  no  wisdom  in 
failures  to  attempt  to  learn  who  these  people  are,  and 
how  they  may  be  best  dealt  with.  But  beyond  this  I say 
nothing,  and  propose  nothing.  If,  in  the  great  future, 
and  under  such  a system,  the  barrier  of  race  keeps  them  to 
their  side  of  the  Pacific,  there  will  be  none  to  complain. 
If  they  are  led  by  a reawakened  national  spirit  to  go 
abroad  in  a measure  which  I do  not  anticipate,  and  fall- 
ing upon  our  shores  to  take  part  in  our  life  and  progress 
it  will  still  be  well.  The  only  danger  comes  in  when  we 


256 


SOCIAL  QUESTIONS. 


refuse  to  deal  with  this  people  as  with  others,  when  ex- 
cusing ourselves  for  our  lack  of  forethought  and  wisdom, 
for  our  failure  to  be  just,  we  keep  them  among  us  as 
an  alien  and  indigested  element.  If  they  are  law-abid- 
ing men  at  home,  they  may  be  kept  so  when  among  us. 
If  they  are  faithful  and  intelligent  in  the  ordinary  avo- 
cations and  relations  of  life,  they  may  safely  be  trusted 
with  the  franchise,  all  in  due  season,  not  carelessly  but 
as  the  result  of  well-devised  and  temperate  legislation. 

The  social  question  is  a part  of  the  whole,  but  it  is 
outside  of  the  direct  scope  of  legislation,  and  it  may  be 
safely  left  to  settle  itself  Legislation  will,  of  course,  af- 
fect it  indirectly  and  very  deeply,  but  it  is  not  the 
business  of  legislators  to  say  who  shall  be  our  friends  and 
associates,  or  whom  we  shall  marry.  The  wife  of  an  able 
and  accomplished  Chinese  known  to  many  Americans  is 
an  estimable  American  lady.  This  fact  has  not  discredited 
her  among  those  who  know  her.  It  has  not  affected  his 
position  as  a trusted  officer  of  his  government.  What 
has  happened  in  this  instance  will  happen  hereafter.  The 
position  of  women  in  China  is  not  all  that  is  to  be  de- 
sired, and  there  will  be  much  more  in  common  between 
a Chinese  educated  among  us  and  an  educated  lady  of 
our  own  stock,  than  between' the  same  man  and  the  great 
mass  of  his  countrywomen.  These  are  all  matters  which 
cannot  be  determined  by  any  hard  and  fast  rules.  Each 
individual  must  determine  what  will  most  conduce  to  his 
own  happiness,  and  it  may  be  said  with  certainty  that 
what  does  this  is  best,  not  only  for  him,  but  also  for  the 
community  in  which  he  lives. 

The  Chinese  Government  has  recently  sent  to  the 
United  States  more  than  one  hundred  selected  boys  to 
be  taught  our  language  and  our  knowledge  generally. 
It  has  intended  to  give  them  a career  in  the  public  service 
of  their  country  after  they  return  to  their  native  land. 


CHINESE  EFFORTS  TO  ASSIMILATE. 


257 


It  is  reasonable  for  that  government  to  have  many  fears 
that  these  youths  will  become  attached  to  our  institutions 
and  to  our  social  lifi,  and  that  they  may  be  incapacitated 
in  this  way  for  their  duties  and  life  at  home.  It  does 
entertain  such  fears.  It  has  not  that  confidence  in  the 
natural  bent  of  the  Chinaman  which  those  among  us  have 
who  urge  the  non-assimilation  theory. 

It  is  too  soon  for  us  to  determine  what  may  result  in 
the  way  of  intercourse  between  us  and  the  Chinese  in 
the  long  future.  It  is  less  than  thirty  years  since  they 
began  their  migration  to  our  shores.  The  period  is  too 
short  to  admit  of  the  solution  of  all  the  questions  in- 
volved. Yet,  something  may  be  predicated  in  view  of 
what  has  occurred  among  us,  and  something  in  view  of 
what  is  occurring  in  China.  It  was  not  an  idle  under- 
taking for  China  to  send  her  young  men  to  learn  all  that 
we  are  able  to  teach.  It  will  be  recognized  in  a few 
years,  when  these  young  men  enter  among  ourselves 
upon  offices  connected  with  international  intercourse, 
that  China  has  done  wisely,  and  the  contrast  with  our 
own  lack  of  foresight  will  be  remarked  upon.  For  not 
only  has  our  government  failed  to  educate  or  to  employ 
one  competent  person  in  America  to  deal  with  the  Chinese 
who  are  among  us,  but  it  has  failed  to  educate  any  in- 
terpreters for  our  service  in  that  country.  We  go  about 
our  affairs  in  a happy-go-lucky  style  that  constantly  sub- 
.jects  us  to  humiliating  experiences,  and  deprives  us  of 
the  opportunity  to  develop  the  best  possible  results  from 
our  intercourse.  China  has  not  been  content,  however, 
with  the  given  experiment,  and  some  others  of  the  same 
sort,  but  she  has  established  a central  school  at  Peking 
' and  others  at  other  points  in  the  empire. 

In  doing  these  things,  China  has  been  actuated,  it  may 
be  said,  by  no  peaceful  purpose,  but  to  strengthen  herself 
for  the  inevitable  conflict  with  foreigners.  I admit  that 

Q 


258 


MEMORIAL  OF  PRINCE  RUNG. 


such  considerations  have  had  weight,  but  these  are  not 
the  only  ones.  Her  government  has  come  to  recognize 
the  fact  that  Western  people  have  outstripped  her  own  in 
the  arts  and  science,  and  is  ashamed  of  this  condition  of 
things.  The  memorial  of  Prince  Kung,  as  chief  secretary 
of  state  for  foreign  affairs,  favoring  the  establishment  of 
the  imperial  college  at  Peking  is  very  much  in  point 
here.  This  whole  paper  is  worthy  of  - careful  perusal, 
but  I am  able  to  reproduce  only  one  or  two  brief 
extracts  which,  while  characteristic  of  the  document, 
illustrate  the  temper  of  the  prince  and  the  arguments 
by  which  he  sustained  the  proposal.  Pie  says  ; — '■ 

“ We  have  weighed  this  matter  maturely  before  laying 
“it  before  the  Throne.  Among  persons  who  are  un- 
“ acquainted  with  the  subject,  there  are  some  who  will 
“ regard  it  as  unimportant ; some  who  will  censure  us  as 
“ wrong  in  abandoning  the  methods  of  China  for  those  of 
“the  West;  and  some  who  will  denounce  the  proposal 
“ that  Chinese  should  submit  to  be  instructed  by  people 
“ of  the  West,  as  shameful  in  the  extreme.  Those  who 
“ urge  such  things  are  ignorant  of  the  demands  of  the 
“ the  times. 

“ In  the  first  place  it  is  high  time  that  some  plan  should 
“ be  devised  for  infusing  new  elements  of  strength  into  the 
“ government  of  China.  Those  who  understand  the  times 
“ are  of  the  opinion  that  the  only  way  for  effecting  this, 
“ is  to  introduce  the  learning  and  mechanical  arts  of  the 
“Western  nations.  Provisional  governors,  such  as  Tsoh 
“Tsung  Tang  and  Li  Hung  Chang,  are  firm  in  this  con- 
“ viction,  and  constantly  presenting  it  in  their  addresses 
“ to  the  Throne.  The  last  mentioned  officer  last  year 
“ opened  an  arsenal  for  the  manufacture  of  arms  and 
“ invited  men  and  officers  from  the  metropolitan  garrison 
“ to  go  there  for  instruction,  while  the  other  established 


‘ Hanlin  Papers,  p.  314. 


MEMORIAL  OF  PRINCE  RUNG. 


259 


“ in  Foo  Chow  a school  for  the  study  of  foreign  languages 
“ and  arts,  with  a view  to  the  instruction  of  young  men 
“ in  ship-building  and  the  manufacture  of  engines.  The 
“ urgency  of  such  studies  is  an  opinion,  therefore,  which 
“ is  not  confined  to  us,  your  servants. 

“ Should  it  be  said  that  the  purchase  of  firearms  and 
“ steamers  has  been  tried,  and  found  to  be  both  cheap 
“and  convenient,  so  that  we  may  spare  ourselves  the 
“ trouble  and  expense  of  home  production,  we  reply  that 
“ it  is  not  merely  the  manufacture  of  arms  and  the  con- 
“struction  of  ships  that  China  needs  to  learn.  But  in 
“respect  to  these  two  objects,  which  is  the  wiser  course 
“in  view  of  the  future,  to  content  ourselves  with  pur- 
“ chase  and  leave  the  source  of  supply  in  the  hands  of 
“ others,  or  to  render  ourselves  independent  by  making 
“ourselves  masters  of  their  arts  ? * * In  olden  times 

“yeomen  and  common  soldiers  were  all  acquainted  with 
“ astronomy,  but  in  later  ages  an  interdict  was  put  upon 
“it.  In  the  reign  of  Kang  Hi  the  prohibition  was  re- 
“ moved,  and  astronomical  science  once  more  began  to 
“ flourish.  Mathematics  were  studied  together  with  the 
“ classics.  A proverb  says ; — ‘ A thing  unknown  is  a 
“‘scholar’s  shame.’  Now,  when  a man  of  letters,  on 
“stepping  from  his  door,  raises  his  eyes  to  the  stars,  and 
“ is  unable  to  tell  what  they  are,  is  it  not  enough  to  make 
“him  blush? 

“ As  to  the  allegation  that  it  is  a shame  to  learn  from 
“the  people  of  the  West,  this  is  the  absurdest  charge  of 
“ all.  For  under  the  whole  heaven  the  deepest  disgrace 
“ is  that  of  being  content  to  lag  in  the  rear  of  others. 
“ * * Not  to  be  ashamed  of  an  inferiority,  and  when  a 

'■  measure  is  proposed  by  which  we  may  equal  or  even 
“surpass  our  neighbors,  to  object  that  it  is  a shame  to 
“ learn  from  them,  and  refusing  to  learn,  to  be  content 
“ with  inferiority,  is  not  such  meanness  of  spirit  an  indel- 
“ ible  reproach  ? ” 


280 


THE  RENAISSANCE  OF  CHINA. 


This  is  not  the  language  of  unreasoning  hatred.  It  is 
language  which  indicates  respect  for  us,  and  an  earnest 
desire  not  be  surpassed  by  us  in  the  struggle  for  political 
and  industrial  pre-eminence.  It  means  the  adoption  of 
our  ways  so  far  as  these  may  be  necessary,  to  the  end 
that  China  shall  not  remain  behind  her  neighbors.  She 
intends  to  assimilate  her  conditions  to  ours.  It  w'as 
written  eighteen  years  ago,  and  already  great  strides  have 
been  made.  Several  machine-shops,  ship-building  yards 
and  arsenals  have  been  brought  into  existence  and  suc- 
cessfully operated.  The  national  arms,  strengthened  by 
the  adoption  of  more  or  less  of  our  system  and  materials, 
have  reconquered  and  pacified  all  the  ancient  territory 
of  the  State.  A great  steamship  line,  with  more  vessels 
and  more  tonnage  than  any  of  those  under  our  owm  flag, 
is  in  successful  working.  Students  from  her  schools  are 
already  passing  abroad  into  her  missions  and  consulates. 
Her  renaissance  is  so  far  acknowledged  that  European 
States  are  disposed  to  seek,  or  to  prevent,  alliances  with 
her. 

Is  it  not  time  then,  in  view  of  the  qualities  exhibited 
by  Chinamen  upon  our  own  soil,  in  view  of  the  illiber- 
ality  which  has  characterized  our  treatment  of  them,  in 
view  of  the  progress  wdiich  China  is  herself  making,  and 
in  view  of  our  common  humanity,  to  drop  this  cry  that 
the  Chinese  do  not  assimilate,  and  to  devote  ourselves  to 
a policy  which  wall  be  more  just  at  the  moment  and 
wdiich  will  conduce  to  build  up  relations  of  enduring  re- 
spect and  profit  between  the  two  great  nations  of  the 
opposite  coasts  of  the  Pacific  ? 


PART  III.— CHAPTER  VIE 


OBJECTIONS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  ADVANCED  AGAINST 
THE  CHINESE.  PROSTITUTION,  GAMBLING, 
CRIMINALS,  DISEASED  PERSONS. 

Prostitution  a natural  result  of  the  circumstances.  It  should  be  sup- 
pressed. The  attempt  to  hold  prostitutes  in  a condition  of  semi- 
slavery. The  supply  comes  from  Hong  Kong  and  can  be  com- 
pletely cut  off.  Statement  of  the  means  which  may  be  adopted. 
What  has  been  done  already  in  this  connection.  Disposition  of  the 
Chinese  government.  How  prostitutes  come  to  America.  The 
nature  of  their  control.  The  Hip  Ye  Tung  band.  An  attempt  to 
break  up  the  band  and  the  cause  of  failure.  The  efforts  of  the  six 
companies  to  suppress  prostitution.  Police  officers  share  in  the 
profits.  The  local  police  system.  Officers  directly  dependent  upon 
the  support  of  gamblers,  &c.  Evidence  of  the  six  companies. 
Money  payment  to  police.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Rogers,  Mr.  McKen- 
zie, Wong  Ben,  Ah  Chung.  The  police  system  has  been  improved 
of  late.  Difficulties  attending  government  in  California.  Fugitive 
criminals.  Diseased  persons.  Contract-laborers.  Evils  may  be 
grappled  with  under  existing  treaties. 

My  readers  will  have  learned  from  the  preceding  chap- 
ters that  I adhere  strongly  to  the  proposition  that  the 
Chinese  have  added  greatly  to  the  rvealth  of  California, 
and  to  the  convenience,  comfort  and  success  of  her  peo- 
ple. They  will  have  learned  also  that  I dispute  earn- 
estly the  statement  that  they  are  a servile  class,  that 
they  interfere  with  the  labor  of  our  people,  that  they 
send  money  out  of  the  country,  that  they  have  set  up  a 
quasi  government  of  their  own  upon  our  soil,  and  that 
they  do  not  accommodate  themselves  to  the  require- 
ments of  our  life  and  organization.  I shall  present  in 
this  chapter  certain  further  objections  which  have  been 
urged  against  them  and  which  in  my  opinion  demand 


262 


SPECIAL  EVILS. 


attention.  I allude  to  the  prostitution  which  is  found 
among  them,  to  the  fact  that  they  are  given  to  gambling, 
that  there  are  among  them  undoubted  criminals,  some 
of  whom  are  fugitives  from  their  own  country,  and 
that  forms  of  disease  exist  among  them  which  may  pos- 
sibly be  a source  of  danger  to  us. 

If  we  assume  that  there  are  75,000  Chinese  in  Cali- 
fornia, that  considerable  portions  of  this  number  are  res- 
ident in  San  Francisco  and  in  other  cities,  and  that 
nearly  all  of  them  are  adult  males  who  are  unmarried  or 
absent  from  their  families,  we  at  once  picture  a condition 
of  things  from  which  we  should  expect  certain  evil  con- 
sequences, and  first  of  all  prostitution. 

I do  not  need  to  dwell  upon  this  proposition  nor  to 
extend  remarks  in  regard  to  the  conditions  which  usually 
attend  prostitution.  It  is  a loathsome  thing  in  its  least 
objectionable  forms.  It  is  because  it  takes  upon  itself 
forms  among  the  Chinese  in  California  which  are  par- 
ticularly objectionable  that  it  demands  rnore  earne.st  at- 
tention. 

One  may  say,  at  once,  that  prostitution  is  not  easily 
dealt  with,  and  that  certain  governments,  finding  them- 
selves unable  to  suppress  it,  have  proposed  to  regulate 
and  control  it.  I advocate  no  such  idea,  and  I do  not 
believe  that  the  people  of  America  are  disposed  to  do  so, 
in  any  measure.  If  there  exist  reasons  why  this  should 
be  attempted  anywhere,  certainly  they  exist  in  a city 
like  San  Francisco,  and  as  respects  the  Chinese  ; but  to 
my  mind  it  is  not  desirable  anywhere,  or  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, to  compromise  with  iniquity.  It  is  not  the 
part  of  morality;  it  is  not,  as  I believe,  conducive  to  < 
public  interest.  At  best,  we  cut  off  in  such  fashion  some 
of  the  unfortunate  results  only,  while  we  increase  de- 
moralizing effects.  The  licensing  of  brothels  and  gambl- 
ing houses,  under  the  assumed  plea  that  we  may  thus 


PROSTITUTION. 


263 


control  them,  is  a specious  kind  of  proposition  which 
can  only  be  put  forward  and  acted  upon  in  communities 
where  the  moral  tone  has  been  brought  down  to  a low 
level,  or  distinctions  between  right  and  wrong  have  been 
refined  away  by  sophistry.  It  has  been  proposed,  over 
and  over  again,  by  foreigners  at  the  open  ports  in  China, 
as  respects  the  districts  managed  by  them,  but  it  is  to 
the  credit  of  the  Chinese  authorities  that  they  have  per- 
sistently set  their  faces  against  the  plan. 

One  may  say,  again,-  that  San  Fransisco  is  full  of 
white  prostitutes,  and  that  there  is  no  occasion  to  be  over 
sensitive  at  the  failures  of  the  Chinese  in  this  respect. 

I am  not  now  dealing  with  questions  which  are  outside 
of  the  range  of  my  proper  inquiry.  If  prostitution  is 
rampant  among  our  people  there,  if,  as  is  said,  more 
white  women  of  this  degraded  kind  are  found  upon  the 
outskirts  of  the  Chinese  part  of  the  city  than  Chinese 
women  within  it,  that  is  a matter  for  the  people  of  the 
city  to  deal  with,  and  we  may  assume  that  they  are 
dealing  with  it  in  a more  or  less  successful  manner. 
They  deserve  sympathy  in  such  efforts,  and  they  de- 
serve sympathy  in  their  expressions  of  regret  that  they 
do  not  succeed  well  there  or  within  the  limits  of  the 
Chinese  district. 

It  may  be  doubted  whether  the  evils  to  our  own  people, 
arising  from  the  presence  of  Chinese  prostitutes,  are  so 
great  as  they  have  been  represented  to  be,  and  whether 
an  earnest  effort  should  not  be  made  to  cleanse  our  own 
house  before  we  turn  to  that  of  the  Chinese.  All  this, 
however,  is  a question  of  degree  and  of  good  taste,  but 
does  not  affect  the  proposition  that  we  should  do  away 
with  the  evil  wherever  and  however  we  find  it  existing. 
If  an  offensive  ulcer  exists  upon  one  part  of  a patient 
who  is  under  treatment,  it  is  not  neglected  because  there 
are  other  sores  upon  his  body.  If  San  Francisco  needs 


264 


HO  IF  TT  MA  y BE  STOPPED. 


cleansing,  as  all  cities  do,  the  operation  may  be  carried 
forward  at  all  practicable  points,  and  it  would  be  the 
height  of  folly  to  say  that  we  should  hold  back  our  hands 
at  one  place  because  it  is  difficult  to  carry  out  the  neces- 
sary measures  everywhere. 

It  is  a matter  beyond  doubt,  that  joined  to  the  system 
of  prostitution  among  the  Chinese  in  California,  and  a 
part  of  it,  is  a system  of  slavery;  that  the  women  are 
largely  imported  and  held  under  contract  by  their  im- 
porters. How  this  is  done  I shall  explain  later ; at  present 
I desire  to  point  out  a means  to  strike  at  the  whole  sys- 
tem. 

I shall  not  now  attempt  to  speak  of  the  local  legisla- 
tion which  may  be  enacted,  or  the  administrative  meas- 
ures which  may  be  set  in  operation  to  deal  with  the 
prostitutes  who  are  already  in  the  country.  The  salient 
fact  which  I desire  to  point  out  is,  that  unlike  the  case  of 
white  prostitution,  there  is  no  local  supply  of  Chinese 
women,  and  that  if  they  are  prevented  from  leaving  their 
own  shores,  the  very  root  of  the  evil  is  destroyed. 

Attempts  have  been  made  to  do  this,  wTich  I am  sat- 
isfied have  been  earnest  and  persistent.  All  such  women 
leave  the  port  of  Hong  Kong.  As  Hong  Kong  is  a 
British  colony,  the  consulate  there  is  independent  of  our 
consular,  and  diplomatic  establishment  in  China,  and  I 
know  comparatively  little  of  the  manner  in  which  it  has 
been  worked.  I find  evidence,  however,  in  the  report  of 
the  Congressional  committee  that  it  has  been  usual  for 
the  consul  or  a deputy  to  examine  carefully  all  women 
proposing  to  go  to  the  United  States,  and  to  refuse  to  pass 
for  emigration  those  who  belong  to  the  class  in  question. 
Those  permitted  to  go  were  obliged  to  hand  in  to  the 
consul  their  photographs,  and  these  were  transmitted  to 
the  custom  officers  at  San  Francisco  in  order  that  no  de- 
ception should  occur  as  to  the  persons  passed.  So  much 


CONSULAR  EXAMINATIONS. 


265 


has  been  done  under  existing  laws  and  regulations,  and 
there  is  great  reason  to  believe,  that  very  good  results 
have  been  brought  about.  It  appears  that  in  March, 
1875,  an  Act  of  Congress  was  approved  by  the  President, 
providing  measures  to  be  taken  to  prevent  the  landing  of 
prostitutes  and  convicts,  and  that  the  examinations  made 
by  the  consul  were  devised  by  him  to  enable  the  customs  ‘ 
officers  at  San  Francisco  to  enforce  the  law  more  per- 
fectly. The  actual  results  accomplished  were  stated  in 
evidence  before  the  commission  by  Mr.  Giles  H.  Gray, 
surveyor  of  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  as  follows  ; — * 

“ Previous  to  this  time  there  had  arrived  upon  the 
steamers,  frequently,  from  200  to  400  women.  During 
“the  quarter  ending  30th  September,  1875,  there  arrived 
“ 161  females,  and  we  had  no  information  which  would 
“enable  us  to  prohibit  the  landing  of  any  of  them.  The 
“ next  quarter,  (that  is  to  say,  after  the  examinations  of 
“ the  consul  had  begun,)  the  number  of  females  was 
“ reduced  to  forty-four,  and  in  the  first  quarter  of  1 876,  it 
“was  reduced  to  fifteen.  In  the  second  quarter  the 
“ number  was  thirty-two,  and  in  the  third,  twenty-four. 
“ The  women  who  have  been  landed  since  we  commenced 
“ to  enforce  the  Page  law,  I have  every  reason  to  believe 
“ are  respectable  women,  and  they  are  accompanied  by  a 
“ letter — a certificate  like  this.  (Producing  a letter).  The 
“ envelope  contains  a letter  from  the  consul,  a photograph 
“ of  the  woman,  and  a certificate  in  English  and  Chinese.” 

The  witness  felt  confident  that  the  consul’s  exami- 
nations were  so  searching  and  thorough  that  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  preventing  prostitutes  from  leaving  Hong  Kong 
for  San  Francisco.  In  this  he  was  more  or  less  mistaken. 

It  is  notorious  that  our  consulates  generally  are  filled 
by  inexperienced  men.  There  has  not  been  an  officer  at 
Hong  Kong  in  the  last  twelve  years  who  could  speak  the 


Rep.  Ch.  Itn.,  p.  3S8. 


266  CONSULAR  ESTABLISHMENTS  INADEQUATE. 

Chinese  language.  While  this  is  true,  the  government 
has  failed  during  that  period  to  provide  for  the  cost  of 
employing  there  a competent  interpreter,  or  any  other 

subordinate  officer  whatever.  I do  not  know  the  de- 

• ^ 

tails  of  the  working  of  the  office,  but  I speak  from 
a general  knowledge  of  the  appropriations  made  by 
Congress.  It  is  not  possible  to  expect  good  results 
under  such  circumstances.  However  this  may  be,  there 
is  the  further  difficulty  that  even  an  experienced  officer, 
and  one  acquainted  with  the  Chinese  language  and  the 
practices  of  the  Chinese  people,  cannot  say  with  certainty 
whether  a given  applicant  does  or  does  not  belong  to  the 
prostitute  class.  He  may  have  his  opinions  ; he  may  be 
able  to  ferret  out  facts,  but  after  all  he  can  only  reach 
approximately  satisfactory  results.  It  was  proven  in 
evidence  before  the  commission,  that  twelve  women,  out 
of  a number  represented  by  forty-eight  photographs  of 
persons  passed  by  the  consul,  had  been  found  in  San 
Francisco  under  circumstances  which  indicated  that  they 
were  in  all  probability  prostitutes.  * 

The  simple  truth  of  the  matter  is,  that  an  examination, 
to  be  thorough,  must  be  made  by  Chinese  officials  acting 
conjointly  with  our  own. 

In  saying  this  I speak  from  my  general  experience, 
from  a common  sense  point  of  view,  and  from  an  inci- 
dent within  my  own  administration  of  consular  func- 
tions, although  perhaps  not  five  persons  in  a year  applied 
to  me  during  my  fourteen  years  charge  of  the  consulate 
general  at  Shanghae,  to  be  passed  for  emigration.  On 
one  occasion  several  women  appeared  and  were  ques- 
tioned by  a subordinate  officer,  who  reported  to  me  his 
failure  to  elicit  information  of  a positive  nature.  They 
Avere  all  good  looking  young  women,  who  said  simply  that 
their  husbands  were  in  California,  and  that  they  desired 


^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1142. 


70/JVT  EXAMINATIONS  NECESSARY. 


2G7 


to  join  them.  Under  these  circumstances,  unwilling  to 
do  them  injustice,  yet  seriously  doubting  their  story  and 
the  various  replies  made  to  me,  I referred  the  matter  to 
the  native  magistrate  of  the  district,  who  with  an  inter- 
preter from  my  own  office,  succeeded  in  demonstrating 
that  they  were  prostitutes.  I believe  that  no  other  kind 
of  examination  can  give  reasonably  certain  results. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  women  all  leave  Hong  Kong, 
and  that  as  Hong  Kong  is  a British  colony,  the  interven- 
tion of  a native  magistrate  cannot  be  procured  there. 
While  this  is  true,  it  may  be  said  again,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  the  women  are  with  rare  exceptions,  subjects 
of  China,  and  that  they  ought  to  be  relegated  back  to 
Canton  for  examination  before  a magistrate  and  a con- 
sular officer,  the  consul  at  Hong  Kong  passing  no  wo- 
man not  passed  by  the  board  there,  or  who  had  failed  to 
prove  naturalization  under  the  laws  of  the  colony.  The 
two  ports  are  adjacent  to  one  another,  and  constant  and 
inexpensive  steam  communication  between  them  exists. 
Such  a scheme  would  need  the  approval  not  only  of  our 
own  government  but  also  that  of  China. 

If  it  is  asked  whether  the  Chinese  government  would 
give  it  approval  I can  only  respond  that  I am  satisfied 
it  would  do  so.  In  saying  this  I desire  it  to  be  distinctly 
understood  that,  as  to  whatever  has  passed  between  the 
Chinese  government  and  myself  in  regard  to  all  the  va- 
rious questions  which  have  come  up  between  that  gov- 
ernment and  our  own,  I intend  to  preserve  at  the  mo- 
ment that  reticence  which  is  becoming  in  an  officer  who 
holds  or  has  held  a diplomatic  position.  The  United 
States  government  has  the  right  to  publish  or  dis- 
close diplomatic  correspondence.  The  Chinese  have  the 
same  right,  but  the  individual  agent  has  not.  He  may 
believe  that  it.  would  conduce  to  public  interest  if  he 
should  do  so.  He  may  think  that  the  reserve  which  is 


268 


JOINT  EX  AMINA  TIONS  POSSIBLE. 


SO  appropriate  to  his  position  may  often  subject  him  to 
adverse  and  unjust  criticism  and  censure.  No  man  is  a 
fit  agent,  however,  who  does  not  subordinate  himself  to 
the  duties  incident  to  his  position.  The  members  of  the 
present  commission  to  China  have  been  quoted  in  the 
newspapers  as  expressing  certain  views,  as  finding  the 
Secretary  of  State  in  sympathy  with  them,  and  as  mak- 
ing public  what  is  to  be  undertaken  by  the  commission 
at  Peking.  To  criticism  for  that  sort  of  thing  I have  not 
subjected  myself  in  the  past,  and  I do  not  propose  to  do 
so  now,  although  my  official  functions  have  ceased. 

The  way  then  to  strike  at  Chinese  prostitution  in 
America  is  to  strike  at  the  supply  of  prostitutes,  and  the 
means  are  simple.  If  we  add  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
consulate  at  Hong  Kong  we  will  add  much  to  the  chances 
of  good  results.  If  we  go  further  and  in  concert  with 
the  Chinese  government  arrange  measures  under  which 
both  governments  may  co-operate,  we  will  accomplish 
still  more.  And  looking  to  what  has  been  done  by  the 
consul  at  Hong  Kong  under  circumstances  of  diffi- 
culty, it  would  appear  that  the  evil  may  be  very  success- 
fully dealt  with,  so  far  as  the  prevention  of  the  immigra- 
tion of  abandoned  Chinese  women  is  concerned. 

While  I do  not  desire  to  say  anything  in  regard  to  the 
control  of  the  Chinese  prostitutes  already  in  our  country, 
that  is  to  say,  to  point  out  the  legislative  or  administra- 
tive measures  which  are  needed  here,  I may  appropri- 
ately and  usefully  extend  my  remarks  so  far  as  to  indi- 
cate the  special  evils  which  characterize  their  prostitu- 
tion. 

It  will  be  manifest  to  the  most  careless  observer  that 
Chinese  women  have  not  made  their  way  to  California 
unassisted.  They  are  members  of  a timid  race,  and  they 
are  women,  who  as  such  are  constitutionally  timid. 
They  are  unlikely,  therefore,  as  individuals  or  in  compa- 


SLAVERY  AMONG  PROSTITUTES. 


269 


nies,  to  come  to  our  shores  by  themselves.  That  the 
women  of  more  experience  of  their  class  have  promoted 
such  immigration  is  undoubted,  but  the  scene  is  distant 
and  they  would  not  be  likely  to  enter  upon  such  enter- 
prises without  the  assistance  of  the  more  courageous  sex. 
I speak  in  this  respect  from  a consideration  of  the  cir- 
cumstances rather  than  from  facts  proven  in  evidence, 
but  there  is  evidence  at  least  that,  once  upon  our  soil, 
these  women  are  protected  or  controlled  by  men.  This 
will  appear  from  what  follows. 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Gibson,  when  examined  before  the 
Congressional  committee,  testified  that  he  had  translated 
from  the  original  Chinese  two  contracts  in  regard  to 
prostitution,  which  are  as  follows  ; — 

“ An  agreement  to  assist  the  woman  Ah  Ho,  because 
“coming  from  China  to  San  Francisco  she  became  in- 
“debted  to  her  mistress  for  her  passage.  Ah  Ho  herself 
“asks  Mr.  Yee  Kwan  to  advance  for  her  $630,  for  which 
“Ah  Ho  distinctly  agrees  to  give  her  body  to  Mr.  Yee 
“ for  service  for  a term  of  four  years. 

“ There  shall  be  no  interest  on  the  money.  Ah  Ho 
“ shall  receive  no  wages.  At  the  expiration  of  four  years 
“ Ah  Ho  shall  be  her  own  mistress.  Mr.,  Yee  Kwan  shall 
“ not  hinder  or  trouble  her.  If  Ah  Ho  runs  away  before 
“ her  time  is  out,  her  mistress  shall  find  her  and  return 
“ her,  and  whatever  expense  is  incurred  in  finding  her  and 
“ returning  her.  Ah  Ho  shall  pay. 

“ On  this  day  of  the  agreement  Ah  Ho  has  received 
“with  her  own  hands,  from  Mr.  Yee  Kwan  $630. 

“If  Ah  Ho  shall  be  sick  at  any  time  for  more  than  ten 
“ days  she  shall  make  up  by  an  extra  month  of  service 
“ for  any  ten  days  sickness. 

“ Now  this  agreement  is  proof.  This  paper  received 
“by  Ah  Ho  is  witness. 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  145. 


270  SLAVERY  AMONG  PROSTITUTES. 

“Tung  Chee,  I2th  year,  9th  month,  14th  day.” 

(October,  1873.) 

“An  agreement  to  assist  a young  girl  named  Loi Yan. 

“ Because  she  became  indebted  to  her  mistress  for  pas- 
“ sage,  food,  &c.,  and  has  nothing  to  pay,  she  makes  her 
“ body  over  to  the  woman  Sep  Sam,  to  serve  as  a pros- 
“titute  to  make  out  the  sum  of  $503.  The  money  shall 
“draw  no  interest  and  Loi  Yan  shall  receive  no  wages. 

“ Loi  Yan  shall  serve  four  and  a half  years.  On  this  day 
“of  agreement  Loi  Yan  receives  the  sum  of  $503  in  her 
“ own  hands.  When  the  time  is  out  Loi  Yan  maybe  her 
“ own  mistress  and  no  man  shall  trouble  her.  If  she  runs 
“ away  before  the  time  is  out  and  any  expense  is  in- 
“curred  in  catching  her,  then  Loi  Yan  must  pay  that 
“ expense.  If  she  is  sick  fifteen  days  or  more,  then  she 
“must  make  up  one  month  for  every  fifteen  days.  If 
“ Sep  Sam  should  go  back  to  China,  then  Loi  Yan  shall 
“serve  another  party  till  her  time  is  out.  If  in  such  ser- 
“ vice  she  should  be  sick  one  hundred  days  or  more,  and 
“ cannot  be  cured  she  may  return  to  Sep  Sam’s  place. 

“ For  proof  of  this  agreement  this  paper. 

“ Dated  2d  day  6th  month,  1 5th  year.” 

(About  Sept,  1876.) 

A witness  named  Alfred  Clarke,  a clerk  in  the  police 
office,  examined  before  the  commission,  gave  evidence  in 
regard  to  the  means  used  to  enforce  these  contracts,  as 
follows  ; — ' 

“ Q.  Suppose  a Chinawoman  escapes,  what  do  the 
“owners  do.?  A.  Follow  her  and  take  her  back.  If 
“ they  fail  they  generally  have  her  arrested  for  larceny,^ 
“ and  get  possession  in  that  way.  They  use  the  pro- 
“ cesses  of  our  courts  to  keep  these  Avomen  in  a state  of 
“ slavery.  They  do  not  let  them  get  out  of  their  clutches 
“ if  they  can  help  it,  for  they  know  that  there  is  no  legal 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  146. 


HOJ-V  IT  IS  ENFORCED. 


271 


" way  of  reclaiming  them.  The  six  companies  do  not 
manage  this  woman  business ; it  is  under  the  manage- 
“ ment  of  an  independent  company,  the  Hip  Ye  Tung. 
“ Whether  they  import  the  women,  I do  not  know,  but 
“they  look  after  affairs  here.  A Chinaman  married  a 
“ woman  at  Gibson’s,”  (out  of  a refuge  provided  by  Mr. 
Gibson  for  fugitives  of  this  class,)  “ and  after  the  mar- 
“ riage  received  notice  that  he  must  pay  for  the  woman 
“or  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  Chinese  custom.  He 
“ was  made  to  believe  that  he  would  suffer  personally  if 
“ he  did  not  comply  with  their  demands.  Acting  upon 
“ information  we  arrested  h number  of  persons  and  got 
‘ some  of  their  books  which  we  had  translated.  On  the 
“rolls  there  were  I think  170  women.  Seven  or  eight 
“ Chinamen  were  arrested,  but  all  the  witnesses  we  could 
“ get  for  the  prosecution  did  not  amount  to  more  than 
“ three  or  four,  and  no  conviction  was  had.” 

This  Hip  Ye  Tung  society  here  mentioned,  and  of 
which  we  have  heard  elsewhere,  is  thus  described  by  Mr. 
Gibson  in  his  book  on  the  Chinese  in  America  ; — “ 

“ Associations  of  Chinese  villains  and  cut-throats  have 
“been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  owners 
“of  women  and  girls  in  their  property  rights,  and  of  do- 
“ingany  other  villainous  business  that  comes  to  hand. 
“ The  San  Francisco  press  know  these  men  by  the  name 
“of  ‘ Highbinders.’  The  name  of  the  principal  associa- 
“tion  or  company  is  ‘ Hip  Ye  Tung.’  For  each  Chinese 
“ woman  brought  into  the  country,  and  sold  into  prosti- 
“ tution,  under  the  protection  of  this  society,  the  sum  of 
“ forty  dollars  is  levied  as  a fund  with  which  to  carry  on 
“ its  operations,  and  to  pay  the  desperadoes  who  execute 
“its  orders.  A small  weekly  or  monthly  tax  is  also 
“ levied  upon  each  woman  as  a fund  with  which  to  carry 
“ on  its  operations,  and  to  pay  the  desperadoes  who  exe- 


* r.  137. 


272 


A CASE  IN  POINT. 


“cute  its  orders.  According  to  a multitude  of  Chinese 
“ statements,  and  according  to  direct  evidence  before  the 
“ Senate  investigating  committee,  a part  of  this  blood 
“money  goes  into  the  pockets  of  special  policemen. 
“ Some  of  these  men  have  become  rich  from  these  fees 
“ and  gamblers  bribes.  Chinese  women  have  been  taken 
“ from  the  steamers  to  some  room  or  barracoon  in  China 
“ town  and  kept  under  the  surveillance  of  a special  police- 
“ man  until  the  fees  were  paid  and  sales  made.” 

Having  thus  told  the  purposes  of  the  Hip  Ye  Tung, 
Mr.  Gibson  proceeds  to  describe  what  occurred  in  a given 
case,  the  same,  doubtless,  as  that  mentioned  by  Mr. 
Clarke ; — 

“In  the  summer  of  1873,  a Chinaman,  by  the  name  of 
“Yet  Sung,  assisted  three  Chinese  women  to  escape  from 
“a  den  of  prostitution,  and  to  find  their  v/ay  to  the 
“ Methodist  mission-house,  916  Washington  street.  Yet 
“ Sung  proposed  to  marry  one  of  the  girls,  and  certain  of 
“ his  acquaintances  proposed  to  marry  the  other  two. 
“ The  girls  accepted  the  propositions.  The  men  procured 
“ licenses,  and  were  duly  married.  A few  weeks  after, 
“Yet  Sung  and  his  wife  came  in  great  terror  to  the  mis- 
“ sion-house  and  asked  for  protection.  The  former  owner 
“ of  the  girl,  failing  to  collect  her  value,  had  brought  the 
“case  before  the  Hip  Ye  Tung  society,  and  one  of  their 
“destroying  angels  had  demanded  her  return  or  three 
“ hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Unwilling  to  pay  the  money, 
“and  unwilling  to  give  up  the  woman.  Yet  Sung  had 
“ been  dragged  before  the  associated  villians,  in  their 
“ secret  council  chamber,  and  given  three  weeks  in  which 
“to  choose  whether  to  return  the  woman,  or  the  assumed 
“ value,  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  or  to  be  assas- 
“sinated.  Two  of  Yet  Sung’s  friends  were  present,  and 
“witnessed  the  proceedings.  After  consultation  with 
“certain  lawyers,  I assisted  Yet  Sung  in  having  eight  of 


THE  CHINESE  MERCHANTS. 


Ti% 


“the  leading  Hip  Ye  Tung  men  arrested  on  a charge  of 
“ conspiracy  to  extort  money.  The  case  was  tried  in  the 
“police  court.  To  the  credit  of  the  Chinese  merchants, 
“ I may  say  that  more  than  fifty  of  them  called  me  to  a 
“ private  interview,  and  encouraged,  me  to  go  on,  promis- 
“ ing  to  aid  me  in  every  possible  way.  Of  their  own 
“ accord,  they  employed  the  best  legal  counsel  in  the 
“ city  to  aid  the  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  police  court.” 

The  course  of  Mr.  Gibson,  in  attempting  to  bring  the 
members  of  this  society,  or,  to  speak  more  accurately, 
this  band  of  wrong-doers,  to  accountability  in  a court  of 
law,  deserves  commendation  of  a positive  sort.  It  is 
probable  that  they  resort  to  intimidation  rather  than 
violence ; yet,  if  they  come  from  the  class  of  fugitive 
criminals  from  China,  their  capacity  to  do  harm  may  be 
estimated.  It  is  possible  that  Mr.  Gibson,  the  fearless 
defender  of  the  rights  of  the  Chinese  when  abused,  the 
equally  bold  denouncer  of  their  offences,  in  taking  the 
course  which  he  did,  subjected  himself  to  a degree  of 
personal  danger. 

The  course  of  the  Chinese  merchants  is  equally  cred- 
itable, but  it  is  only  what  one  acquainted  with  their  class 
would  have  expected  from  them.  Recognizing  the  evils 
attending  the  prostitution  of  their  country  women,  they 
have  on  more  than  one  occasion,  made  efforts  to  mitigate 

them.  In  the  given  instance,  it  seems  that,  unsolicited, 
they  employed  a lawyer,  whose  name  stands  hardly  sec- 
ond at  the  San  Francisco  bar,  to  aid  in  the  prosecution 
of  the  Hip  Ye  Tung  men.  Mr.  Clarke  has  stated  that 
the  books  of  the  band  had  been  seized,  and  that  a list  cf 
1 70  women  had  been  found  in  them.  The  case  was  one, 

then,  in  which  the  opportunities  to  break  up  the  opera- 
tions of  the  crew  appeared  excellent. 

The  result  I leave  Mr.  Gibson’s  narrative  to  disclose. 
I esteem  him  a just  and  intelligent  man,  but  I would 


274 


PROSTITUTION  AIDED  BY  THE  POLICE. 


willingly  believe  that  a lack  of  acquaintance  with  legal 
procedure  has  given  him  wrong  impressions  of  what 
occurred.  He  tells  the  story  as  follows  ; — 

“ For  some  unaccountable  reason  the  prosecuting  at- 
“torney  refused  to  allow  Mr.  McAllister,  the  counsel 
“ employed  by  the  Chinese  merchants  to  aid  him,  or  to 
“ take  part  in  the  prosecution  ; refused  to  bring  forward 
“ the  official  records  of  the  society,  which  had  been  seized 
“ with  the  men,  and  which  contained  the  names  of  the 
“eight  defendants  as  officers  of  the  Hip  Ye  Tung.  His 
“ whole  conduct  showed  that  he  did  not  wish  a conviction, 
“ and  would  not  have  it  if  he  could  prevent  it.  However, 
“Yet  Sung  and  his  two  friends  testified  to  facts  as  above 
“ mentioned.  The  defendants,  each  simply  denied  the 
“same ; claimed  that  they  did  not  belong  to  the  Hip  Ye 
“ Tung,  and  brought  forward  two  Chinese  witnesses  to 
“ testify  for  each  defendant  that  they  were  all  good  and 
“true  men.  To  the  astonishment  and  disappointment  of 
“all  respectable  people  who  had  noticed  the  case,  the 
“jury  rendered  a verdict  of  acquittal.” 

Mr.  Gibson  has  been  consistent  in  his  statements  that 
the  Chinese  villains  of  the  Hip  Ye  Tung  class,  are 
actively  assisted  by  our  own  people.  He  gave,  for 
instance,  a description  of  that  organization  to  the  Senate 
committee,  as  sworn  testimony,  and  among  other  similar 
declarations  made  by  him  at  that  time,  will  be  found  the 
following  ; — ' 

“ A portion  ot  the  profits  arising  from  this  business 
“goes  to  the  Chinese,  and  a portion  to  men  not  Chinese. 
“ * * There  is  collected  for  each  woman  imported  as 

“ a prostitute  forty  dollars.  Of  that,  ten  dollars  goes  to 
“white  men.  Twenty-five  cents  a week,  or  month — I 
“forget  which — is  levied  on  each  woman,  and  part  of  this 
“ goes  to  white  men.  Gambling-houses  pay  five  dollars  a 

* Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  34. 


PROSTITUTION  AND  THE  POLICE. 


275 


“ week  to  certain  policemen  for  the  privilege  of  keeping 
“ open,” 

This  evidence  is  not  by  any  means  all  of  the  kind  that 
was  presented  to  the  Senate  committee.  It  appears  in- 
deed, that  the  presidents  of  the  six  companies  made  a 
statement  on  the  subject  to  the  committee.  I find  at 
least  that  Mr.  Donovan,  one  of  the  members  of  the  com- 
mittee, in  examining  Mr.  George  W.  Duffield,  a police- 
officer  of  San  Francisco,  used  the  following  language; — 

“ Q.  The  heads  of  the  companies  told  us  that  the 
“gambling-houses  had  been  in  the  habit  of  raising  and 
“paying  money  to  men  at  the  City  Hall,  to  secure  them- 
“ selves  from  interference,  and  the  same  thing  in  regard 
“ to  prostitution.  They  said  that  if  we  would  get  honest 
“ American  officers,  there  would  be  no  more  gambling 
“ and  prostitution  in  Chinatown  ; but  until  that  time  they 
“ will  continue  to  exist.  This  was  told  us  by  the  heads 
“ of  the  companies,  the  six  presidents  being  present. 

To  this  the  witness  responded,  with  an  audacity  which 
is  suggestive ; — 

“In  answer  to  that,  I will  state  that  all  those  men  talk- 
“ ing  to  you  were  interested  in  those  gambling  houses.” 

And  to  the  next  question  ; — “ How  is  this  population,” 
the  Chinese  of  San  Francisco  generally,  “ as  to  criminal 
“ propensities  ? ” the  witness  with  equal  promptness,  re- 
sponded ; — 

“ They  are  a nation  of  thieves.  I have  never  seen  one 
“ that  would  not  steal.” 

It  appears  that  there  exists  in  San  Francisco  a corps 
of  special  or  local  policemen,  who  are  not  paid  by  the 
city,  but  derive  their  incomes  from  subscriptions  of  resi- 
dents upon  the  beats  assigned  to  them  by  the  general 
police  authorities.  It  is  a way  of  sustaining  a large 
police  force,  apparently,  without  making  a large  appropri- 

‘ Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  48. 


276 


THE  SPECIAL  POLICE  SYSTEM. 


ation  from  the  municipal  funds.  How  far  the  general 
police  authorities  attempt  to  control  these  men  I do  not 
know,  but  each  one  is  allowed  to  wear  the  uniform  of  the 
force,  and  a badge  like  that  of  other  officers  marked, 
however,  with  words  indicating  that  they  are  “ special  ” 
officers.  One  does  not  need  to  have  had  some  experi- 
ence in  administrative  affairs  to  know  that  such  a system 
is  faulty  in  the  extreme,  that  it  is  utterly  impossible  to 
control  adequately  such  a body  of  men,  and  that  their 
existence  must  tend  to  demoralize  the  members  of  the 
regular  force. 

Referring  to  this  class  of  officers,  Mr.  Raymond,  chair- 
man of  the  Senate  committee,  while  examining  Mr. 
James  R.  Rogers,  from  whose  evidence  before  the  Con- 
gressional committee  I have  already  quoted  freely,  asked 
the  following  question  and  received  the  following  an- 
swer ; — ‘ 

“ O.  Do  you  know  what  wages  local  policemen  get  on 
“ an  average  ? A.  They  get  all  they  can.  The  exact 
“ amounts  I cannot  tell,  but  they  are  all  good  beats.  The 
“ officers  are  all  thorough,  first-class  officers.  I consider 
“ them  as  fine  officers  as  there  are  on  the  force.  I have 
“ had  them  to  assist  me  several  times,  and  have  always 
“ found  them  up  to  the  mark.  The  local  system  is  pretty 
“good  in  some  respects,  it  furnishes  a guard  for  the 

Chinese  quarter  when  the  local  police  could  not  do  it. 
“ They  make  a great  many  arrests  and  recover  much 
“stolen  property.” 

Having  passed  this  eulogy  on  the  class  of  special  or 
local  policemen,  confessing  in  terms  the  inadequacy  of 
the  regular  force,  and  by  inference  his  own  crass  igno- 
rance of  a sound  system  of  police  and  of  human  nature 
at  large,  he  was  asked  a further  question  ; — 

“ Q.  Suppose  there  were  officers,  regular  policemen, 

' Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  62, 


THE  SPECIAL  POLICE  SYSTEM. 


277 


“on  those  beats  receiving  no  pay,  (excepting  from  the 
“ city,)  don’t  you  think  they  could  stop  gambling  and 
“ prostitution  ? ” And  to  this  he  responded,  with  per- 
haps a nearer  approximation  to  accuracy; — “Yes,  if  they 
“did  their  duty.  There  is  hardly  an  ordinance  that  is 
“ not  violated  by  the  Chinese,  and  not  one  that  cannot 
“ be  enforced.  They  have  an  idea  that  money  is  at  the 
“ bottom  of  the  whole  thing,  and  that,  if  they  want,  they 
“can  buy  privileges.  They  don’t  understand  the  city 
“ treasury.  I have  had  them  ask  how  much  I get,  how 
“much  the  chief,  how  much  the  judge.” 

It  would  appear  then  that  the  presidents  of  the  six 
companies  have  the  support  of  this  officer  in  their  state- 
ment that  gambling  and  prostitution  will  cease  so  soon 
as  honest  officers  are  employed. 

The  evidence  of  the  witness  went  further  ; — 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  of  the  Chinese  paying  money  to 
“ persons  other  than  special  policemen,  for  the  purpose  of 
“ protecting  themselves  in  their  business  ? A.  I have 
“ been  told  so  by  Chinamen.  Chinese  who  collected  the 
“money  told  me  of  its  payment.  The  Chinaman  was 
“Ah  You,  the  keeper  of  a store  and  gambling  house. 

“ Q.  To  whom  did  he  pay  money.-'  A.  ‘ 

“ Five  hundred  dollars  a month. 

Q.  For  what  purpose  ? A.  He  said  he  paid  it  for 
“ the  gambling  houses  to  secure  freedom  from  interrup- 
“ tion.  He  said  so  much  money  was  paid  per  month  ; it 
“ was  collected  from  the  games  and  stores.  One  hundred 
“ dollars  went  to  the  store,”  (to  himself  for  his  trouble  ?) 
“ and  the  balance  to . 

“O.  For  what  purpose?  A.  Allowing  gambling 
“ houses  to  run.” 

It  is  possible  that  many  of  the  special  policemen  hav- 
ing to  do  with  the  Chinese  quarter  in  San  Francisco  are 

‘ The  suppression  of  the  name  occurs  in  the  printed  report. 


278 


POLICE  PAID  BY  PROSTITUTES. 


above  temptation.  It  will  be  seen,  however,  that  they 
are  subjected  to  many  temptations,  and  that  even  when 
they  refuse  money  for  allowing-  prostitution  and  gamb- 
ling to  go  on,  it  becomes  their  interest  to  wink  at  it. 
They  are  paid  by  voluntary  subscriptions  of  the  house- 
holders. As  the  witness  has  said,  They  get  all  they  can.” 
The  difference  in  their  gettings,  as  affected  by  their  ac- 
tivity or  lack  of  activity,  is  suggested  by  the  follo-vving 
evidence,  given  to  the  Senate  committee  by  local  officer, 
Andrew  McKenzie  ; — ^ 

“ O.  Are  there  gambling  houses  on  your  beat  ? A. 
“ There  have  been,  but  they  have  been  closed  within  the 
“ last  two  weeks. 

“ 0.  How  many  were  there  before  ? A.  About 
“ twenty.  We  have  never  entirely  suppressed  gambling, 
“ but  generally  managed  to  keep  it  under  some  restraint. 
“ We  have  driven  it  and  prostitution  to  the  back  streets, 
“ and  off  the  street  itself. 

“ Q.  You  are  paid  by  the  Chinese,  are  you  not  ? A. 
“Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  And  a large  part  of  your  pay  comes  from  these 
“gamblers  and  prostitutes  ? A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  Does  the  closing  of  these  houses  affect  your  sal- 
“ ary  to  any  great  extent.^  A.  Yes,  sir.  We  do  not 
“ make  such  big  collections.  There  is  a dark  hour  in 
“ all  kinds  of  business,  and  this  is  our  dark  hour  just 
“ now.” 

This  evidence  was  given  on  the  19th  day  of  April, 
1876.  The  sessions  of  the  committee  in  San  Francisco 
began  on  the  nth  of  that  month.  The  “dark  hour  in 
“ business”  of  our  witness  began,  probably,  when  the  time 
for  the  committee  to  open  its  sessions,  approached. 
How  long  it  lasted  may  be  inferred. 

Another  witness  examined  by  the  Senate  committee 

* Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  88. 


POLICE  PAID  BY  PROSTITUTES. 


279 


was  Wong  Ben,  a man  half  educated  in  the  English  lan- 
guage, who  would  appear  to  be  an  honest  person,  endeav- 
oring, according  to  the  best  light  he  had,  to  make  a 
struggle  against  the  gambling  and  prostitute  brokers,  in 
the  interest  ot  “ young  boys  who  come  here  and  spend 
“ all  their  money  in  gambling  houses  and  houses  of  pros- 
“ titution.”^ 

“ Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  California  ? A. 
“Nearly  thirteen  years. 

“ Q-  Where  did  you  come  from — what  part  of  China  ? 
“ A.  Canton. 

“ Q.  What  have  you  been  doing  since  you  came  to 
“ California  .?  A.  Acting  as  interpreter,  for  a while,  in 
“the  police  and  county  courts. 

“ Q.  How  long  is  it  since  you  learned  to  speak  Eng- 
“lish  ? A.  About  ten  years. 

“ Q.  Where  do  you  live  now  ? A.  I live  here,  in 
“San  Francisco. 

“ Q.  Were  you  a witness  in  the  police  court  yester- 
“ day,  when  some  of  the  Chinese  prostitutes  were  tried  ? 
“A.  Yes;  we  tried  to  break  up  that  business.  Last 
“ year  I had  two  boys  with  me,  and  we  tried  to  break  up 
“ the  gambling-houses  and  houses  of  prostitution.  We 
“tried  to  have  the  policemen  arrest  the  keepers,  but 
“ Charley  Duffield  kicked  the  boy  in  the  head,  and  told 
“him  to  go  away.  He  would  not  let  us  go  into  the 
“ gambling-houses  to  see  who  were  there,  so  that  we 
“ could  have  them  arrested. 

“ Q.  Are  you  helping  the  police  ? A.  Yes,  sir. 
“ Charley  Diifheld  told  us  we  had  no  reason  to  go 
“ against  the  keepers  of  these  houses. 

“ Q.  Who  are  these  keepers .?  A.  Wong  Woon,  a 
“ big  fellow,  who  keeps  a house  of  prostitution.  An  Geo, 
“another  big  fellow — every  time  a woman  gets  into 

‘ Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  99. 


280 


THE  HIP  YE  TUNG 


“trouble  he  gets  her  out.  He  goes  and  collects  commis- 
“ sion  from  women  and  makes  them  pay  so  much  a 
“month.  He  gets  lawyers  for  the  gamblers, too,  and 
“ collects  five  dollars  one  week,  and  ten  dollars  a month. 

“Q.  Are  these  men  merchants  A.  No;  they  keep 
“gambling-houses,  and  houses  of  prostitution.  They 
“buy  women  in  China,  and  bring  them  here  to  be  pros- 
“ titutes — and  they  sell  them  again  here. 

“ Q.  What  do  they  say  if  you  testify  ? A.  They  put 
“ up  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  to  put  my  life 
“out.  They  tell  me  if  that  don’t  do  it  they  will  put  up 
“ two  thousand  dollars,  and  then  three  thousand  dollars. 
“ He  told  me  last  night  he  would  give  me  one  hundred 
“and  fifty  dollars  if  I would  not  say  anything,  and  that  I 
“must  take  it,  or  I would  have  my  life  put  out.  Wong 
“ Woon  and  An  Geo  collect  thirteen  dollars  each  month 
“ from  gambling-houses,  eight  dollars  a month  from  lot- 
“ tery-houses,  then  five  dollars  a week  more  from  gam- 
“ biers.  They  tell  me  I must  not  go  against  them,  and 
“they  would  give  me  money.  If  I would  not  take  it 
“ they  would  put  my  life  out.  I won’t  take  it,  because 
“ young  boys  come  here  and  spend  all  their  money  in 
“gambling-houses  and  houses  of  prostitution,  and  by- 
“ and-by  he  hasn’t  got  a cent.  He  can’t  go  home.  Why.? 
“ Because  he  can’t  go,  for  he  gambled  off  his  money. 
“ When  he  sees  that  he  works  all  the  time  and  never  has 
“ a cent,  he  thinks  it  is  no  use  to  work  any  more,  and  so 
“ becomes  a loafer  on  the  street. 

“ Q.  Who  bring  the  Chinese  women  here  ? A. 
“Wong  Took  Soi,  Bi  Chee,  An  Geo,  and  Wong  Woon. 

“ Q.  What  do  these  men  do  ? A.  They  keep  gamb- 
“ ling-houses  and  houses  of  prostitution. 

“ O.  What  do  they  do  with  the  women  ? A.  They 
“make  them  be  prostitutes.  If  they  don’t  want  to  be 
“prostitutes  they  make  them  be. 

“ Q.  Can  they  get  away  ? A.  No,  sir. 


OR  HIGH  BINDERS. 


281 


“ Q.  What  do  they  do  with  them  when  they  get  sick 
“ and  cannot  work  any  longer  ? A.  They  don’t  treat 
“ them  well  at  all.  They  don’t  take  as  much  care  of 
“ them,  whether  they  are  sick  or  well,  as  white  people  do 
“ a dog.  Chinawomen  in  China  are  treated  first  rate, 
“ but  in  California  these  ‘ big  feet’  women  are  treated 
“ worse  than  dogs. 

“ Q.  How  many  Chinese  prostitutes  are  there  in  this 
“city.'*  A.  Take  in  the  high-toned  prostitutes,  those 
“ that  live  up-stairs,  and  I guess  there  are  about  eight 
“ hundred. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  what  the  six  companies  are  } A. 
“ Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  Do  they  have  anything  to  do  with  these  women  ? 
“A.  No,  sir. 

“ Q.  How  do  Chinese  come  to  this  country — do  the 
“ companies  bring  them  here  ? A.-  No.  The  compa- 
“nies  only  take  care  of  them  when  they  come  here. 
“Then  they  don’t  know  the  place  and  the  language, 
“ and  the  companies  look  after  them.  The  women  are 
“ taken  care  of  and  brought  here  by  these  big  fellows  I 
“ mentioned. 

“ Q.  How  many  gambling-houses  are  there  here  ? A. 
“ An  Geo,  Wong  Woon,  and  those  big  fellows  have  got 
“ six  big  houses. 

“ How  many  smaller  ones  A.  Seventy-five  or  seven- 
“ ty-six.  Last  year  I got  two  boys  and  we  counted  eighty- 
“ two  gambling-houses  in  this  city.  Duffield  said  if  we 
“ didn’t  stop  he  would  break  our  heads. 

“ Q.  Who  is  Duffield  ? A.  He  is  a policeman  who 
“watches  houses  of  prostitution  and  gambling-houses. 
“ He  gets  lots  of  money. 

“ Q.  How  much  ? A.  Five  dollars  a week  from  the 
“ gambling -houses,  and  four  bits  a week  from  each  pros- 
“ titute. 


282 


PA  Y ME  MTS  TO  THE  POLICE. 


“ Q.  How  many  women  have  been  arrested  to  be  tried 
“to-day?  A.  I have  forgotten.  The  first  day  we  got  nine. 
“I  don’t  know  how  many  they  got  this  next  time.  Yes- 
“ terday,  when  the  trial  was  coming  on,  these  big  boss 
“ fellows  with  lots  of  money  scared  off  the  witnesses.  I 
“ tried  to  make  them  not  afraid  ; but  it  was  of  no  use. 

“ O.  Suppose  a Chinawoman  got  away,  what  would 
“ they  do  ? A.  Sometimes  her  owners  put  up  money  to 
“ get  her  back  again  ; sometimes  they  make  the  man  who 
“got  her  pay  money  to  them  for  her.  If  a man  take  a 
“ woman  away  from  a house  of  prostitution,  they  tell  him 
“ they  put  his  life  out. 

“ 0.  Do  you  know  of  any  Chinamen  being  killed  for 
“ taking  away  women  from  those  houses  ? A.  One  boy 
“got  killed  up  in  Ross  alley  nearly  four  years  ago.  These 
“ big  fellows  hired  men  to  kill  him.  Three  men.  ran  up 
“ and  shot  him,  and  ran  a knife  into  him ; and  that  is  the 
“ reason  other  boys  are  afraid  to  help  women. 

“ 0.  How  old  were  you  when  you  came  to  California  ? 
“ A.  About  nine  years  old. 

“ O.  How  old  are  you  now  ? A.  Nearly  twenty- 
“ four. 

“ Q.  How  many  gambling-houses  were  there  two 
“ months  ago  ? A.  Over  eighty. 

“ Q.  How  much  a month  do  they  pay  the  police  ? 
“A.  Five  dollars  a week  each  one.  These  four  big  fel- 
“ lows,  besides  that,  collect  thirteen  dollars  a month  to 
“ pay  a white  man  to  get  them  out  of  trouble.  The  lot- 
“ tery-houses  pay  eight  dollars  a month. 

“ Q.  How  many  lottery-houses  are  there  ? A.  Two 
“ or  three  hundred.  When  I have  tried  to  get  into  gamb- 
“ ling-houses  to  see  who  were  there,  so  I could  arrest 
“ them,  they  wouldn’t  let  me  in.  The  bosses  tell  them, 
“ when  they  see  me  coming,  to  shut  the  door.  I get  a 
“green  boy  from  the  mountains  to  go  into  a house  of 


COLLUSION  WITH  THE  POLICE. 


283 


“prostitution,  so  he  can  talk  and  see  what  kind  of  a 
“ house  it  is,  so  I can  make  him  swear. 

“ Q.  Whom  are  you  assisting  in  this  matter  ? A. 

“ The  boys  working  in  this  city  here  make  twenty  or 
“twenty-five  dollars  a month,  and  they  spend  this  in  the 
“houses  of  prostitution  and  gamble  it  off.  They  come 
“to  me  and  say; — ‘You  get  the  gambling-houses  and 
“ ‘ houses  of  prostitution  shut  up,  and  you  will  be  a great 
“‘man.’  Charley  Duffield  put  one  fellow  in  jail  one 
“ hundred  days  for  nothing,  because  he  was  helping  me. 
“Yesterday  I had  ten  or  twelve  boys  to  swear  in  Court 
“against  the  gamblers  and  the  prostitute  fellows.  I 
“ told  them  not  to  be  afraid,  that  nothing  would  happen 
“ to  them.  When  they  found  out  that  they  would  get 
“ hurt  if  they  swore,  they  all  ran  away.  They  put  up  a 
“ notice  on  the  wall  to  put  out  my  life  for  one  thousand 
“ and  five  hundred  dollars,  but  when  I went  to  get  it  they 
“ tore  it  down. 

“ Q.  Did  you  ever  see  any  other  notices  offering  re- 
“ wards  for  killing  Chinamen  ? A.  Plenty  of  them. 

“ Q.  Where  do  they  have  them  posted.^  A.  On  a 
“ five-story  house  on  Jackson  street.  These  big  fellows 
“ had  a place  where  they  kept  their  books  and  money, 
“and  a list  of  all  the  men  interested  in  gambling-houses 
“ and  houses  of  prostitution.  I knew  I could  not  get  in 
“there,  and  told  Ying  Low  to  go  there  and  see  if  he  saw 
“ any  books  on  the  table.  The  first  time  he  saw  plenty 
“books,  and  I went  and  got  policemen  to  go  there,  but 
“ those  big  fellows  all  cleared  out.  I think  they  will  have  f 
“ another  meeting  in  two  weeks  or  ten  days,  and  I guess 
“I  can  catch  them  then.  Last  month  Wong  Woon  put 
“ up  eight  thousand  dollars,  that  he  got  from  gamblers  to 
“ fight  the  law.  Whenever  a gambler  or  prostitute  gets 
“ into  trouble,  they  spend  some  of  this  money  to  get  them 
“out  and  fight  the  law.  Yesterday  I had  fifteen  wit- 


284 


FURTHER  EVIDENCE 


“ nesses  to  swear  against  these  fellows,  but  when  Wong 
“ Woon  saw  that  he  asked  for  a continuance,  and  this 
“ morning  I have  only  got  two.  My  company  tells  me  to 
“ break  up  these  houses,  and  the  six  companies  have  put 
“up  a notice  saying  that  if  any  more  notices  of  reward 
“ are  put  up,  they  will  fight.” 

While  it  would  be  possible  to  look  upon  the  evidence 
as  that  of  an  imperfectly  educated  man,  not  used  to 
weigh  the  importance  of  words,  or  to  confine  himself  to 
accurate  statements,  its  general  tenor  is  so  far  supported 
by  the  other  evidence  which  I have  cited  that  it  cannot 
be  set  aside  as  worthless.  There  is,  moreover,  more  of 
the  same  kind  of  evidence  to  be  found  in  the  report 
of  the  Senate  committee.  For  instance,  that  of  Ah 
Chung  ' 

“ Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  California  ? A.  Five 
“ or  six  years. 

“ Q.  How  old  are  you  A.  Eighteen, 

“ Q.  What  have  you  been  doing  in  California  ? 
“A.  Cooking. 

“ Q.  For  white  people  A.  Yes. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  how  many  Chinese  prostitutes 
“ there  are  in  San  Francisco  ? A.  I think  about  one 
‘‘  thousand. 

“ Q.  Who  own  them  ? A.  Wong  Woon,  An  Geo, 
“Bi  Chee,  and  Wong  Fook  Soi. 

“ Q-  Where  do  they  get  them  ? A,  They  buy  in 
“ in  China  and  bring  here. 

“ Q.  What  do  they  give  for  them  in  China  A.  About 
“ one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

“ O.  What  are  they  worth  here  ? A.  Some  nine 
“ hundred  and  some  eight  hundred  dollars. 

“Q.  Do  they  steal  some  of  them  in  China  A.  They 
“ buy  them. 

' Rep.  Sen.  Com , p.  109. 


REGARDING  PROSTITUTION. 


285 


“Q.  Do  they  buy  and  sell  girls  in  China  ? A.  Yes, 
“ sir. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  how  many  gambling-houses  there 
“are  in  San  Francisco  ? A.  I think  about  two  hundred. 

“ Q.  What  do  the  Chinamen  do  with  anybody  who 
“ testifies  in  court  against  the  women  } A.  An  Geo, 
“Wong  Woon,  and  Ah  Fook  put  up  money  to  kill  him. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  whether  any  paper  is  ever  put  up 
“offering  money  to  kill  Chinamen.?  A.  Yes;  I saw 
“ them. 

“Q.  Have  they  threatened  to  kill  you  if  you  testify.? 
“A.  Yes  ; I am  a little  scared. 

“Q.  What  are  you  afraid  of.?  A.  Afraid  shoot  me. 

“Q.  Do  you  know  of  anybody  being  killed  .?  A.  Yes. 

“Q.  What  for.?  A.  One  boy  he  testified  against 
“women,  and  they  killed  him  with  a knife.” 

And  again,  that  of  Ah  Gow  ; — '' 

“Q.  Can  you  speak  English.?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  San  Francisco .? 
“ A.  One  year. 

“ Q.  How  long  in  California  .?  A.  Three  years. 

“Q.  Where  have  you  lived  .?  A.  At  Half-moon  Bay. 

“ Q.  What  did  you  work  at .?  A.  Making  cigars. 

“ Q.  For  white  people  .?  A.  No  ; for  a Chinaman — 
“Ah  Wah. 

“Q.  To  what  company  do  you  belong.?  A.  Ning 
“ Yeung. 

“ Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  threats  made  against 
“ Chinamen  for  testifying  in  the  American  courts  .?  A.  An 
“ Geo,  Bi  Chee,  and  Wong  Woon  say  they  shoot  me. 

“ Q.  What  for  .?  A.  They  say  I pick  out  prostitutes 
“in  court. 

“ Q.  Are  you  a witness  now .?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

*Rep.  Sen.  Com.,  p.  no. 


286 


PA  YMENTS  TO  THE  POLICE. 


“ 0.  Do  they  threaten  to  shoot  you  if  you  tell  the 
“truth?  A.  Yes,  sir, 

“ Q.  Do  j^ou  know  anything  about  notices  being 
“posted  up  offering  rewards  for  killing  men  ? A.  Yes. 
“ I have  seen  them. 

“ Q.  What  were  you  put  in  jail  for,  lately  ? A.  George 
“ Duffield  said  I bothered  the  women  and  the  gamblers 
“ by  coming  into  court  against  them. 

“ O.  Do  you  know  how  much  money  the  Chinese  pay 
“ these  officers  ? A.  The  gamblers,  five  dollars  a Aveek  ; 
“ each  Avoman,  four  bits  ; lotteries,  eight  dollars  a month. 

“ Q-  What  do  the  people  Avho  OAvn  women  do,  Avhen 
“ they  become  sick  and  helpless  ? A.  I suppose  they 
“ take  care  of  them. 

“ Q-  When  they  are  sick  and  going  to  die,  do  they 
“ put  them  on  the  street  ? A.  Sometimes. 

“ O.  Do  these  people  Avho  own  Avomen  Avhip  them  ? 
“A.  The  boss  AA'omen  Avhip  them  all  the  time. 

“ Q.  Do  you  live  in  the  Chinese  quarter  ? A.  Yes, 
“ sir. 

“ O.  Are  you  afraid  ? A.  Sometimes.  I do  not  go 
“ out  at  night,  but  stay  in  the  house  and  lock  my  door.” 

It  is  unnecessary  to  carry  this  part  of  my  inquiry  fur- 
ther, although  there  is  a great  deal  more  evidence  avail- 
able, of  the  same  kind  as  that  Avhich  has  been  cited,  more 
particularly  in  the  report  of  the  Senate  committee. 

To  sum  up  the  Avhole  case  so  far  as  prostitution  is 
concerned,  it  may  be  said  that  out  of  75,000  Chinese  in 
California,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  adult  males,  there 
are  in  San  Francisco,  perhaps,  1,000  prostitutes,  very 
many  of  Avhom  are  held  in  a condition  of  slavery.  Their 
obedience  is  secured  by  the  co-operation  of  gangs  of 
desperadoes,  many  of  Avhom  doubtless  are  fugitives  from 
justice  in  China.  They  are  intimidated,  in  some  cases  by 


THE  EVIL  MAY  BE  SUPPRESSED. 


287 


personal  violence,  and  in  still  others  by  the  preliminary 
processes,  of  our  courts.  This  condition  of  things  is  pos- 
sible because  the  State  of  California  and  the  city  of  San 
Francisco  have  not  provided  officers  of  special  education, 
or  persons  who  have  a competent  knowledge  of  the  Chi- 
nese language,  and  who  are  permanently  employed  to 
assist  in  the  control  of  the  Chinese  element,  and  because 
the  police  force  in  San  Francisco  is  deficient  in  numbers, 
otherwise  defective,  and  in  some  instances  leagued  with 
the  violators  of  law.  A great  deal  more  may  be  done  on 
the  spot  therefore,  to  suppress  prostitution.  The  State 
and  the  city  are  largely  responsible  for  its  existence  in 
its  present  forms.  Beyond  all  this  more  may  be  done 
by  negotiations  with  China,  and  by  adequate  legislation, 
to  prevent  the  influx  of  women  of  the  class  in  question. 

In  regard  to  gambling,  it  may  be  said  that  the  evil  is  far 
less  .serious,  and  that  it  may  be  suppressed  practically 
on  the  spot,  if  an  honest  and  intelligent  effort  be  made 
to  do  so.  There  are  after  all,  but  a handful  of  Chinese 
in  San  Francisco,  less  in  point  of  fact  than  one-fifth 
the  number  who  congregate  in  the  English  and  Ameri- 
can settlements  at  Shanghae.  The  vice  is  one  to  which 
the  Chinese  are  prone,  but  it  has  been  kept  under  sub- 
jection there  so  that  it  is  not  felt  to  be  a public  evil.  It 
is  necessary  to  control  it  for  the  reasons  assigned  in  the 
evidence  of  Wong  Ben.  The  Chinese  youth  more  par- 
ticularly, resort  to  gambling  places  because  they  are 
away  from  home,  and  because  they  have  but  few  means 
of  amusing  themselves.  If  unchecked  they  expend  there 
their  money,  get  in  debt  and  are  led  to  petty  thieving  to 
make  good  their  obligations  or  to  satisfy  their  wants. 
One  vice  leads  to  another,  and  the  men  who  gamble  half 
the  night,  naturally  resort  to  houses  of  prostitution  for 
the  remainder.  And  so  the  hags  who  deal  in  women 
and  the  desperadoes  who  abet  them,  and  who  abet  and 


288 


FUGITIVE  CRIMINALS. 


aid  gamblers,  grow  numerous  and  strong,  and  dangers  of 
other  kinds  follow. 

I am  well  aware  that  there  are  some  circumstances  of 
an  extraordinary  nature  which  make  it  difficult  to  secure 
good  government  in  San  Francisco  and  in  the  State  of 
California.  Communism,  in  an  incipient  form,  has  been 
rampant  there  of  late  years.  There  is  a reckless  spirit 
permeating  all  departments  of  society,  engendered  by 
the  excitements  of  rhining-stocks  gambling.  There  is  a 
large  foreign  element  in  the  State,  which  takes  part  in 
political  affairs,  although  but  little  fitted  for  them  by  edu- 
cation at  home  or  experience  on  the  spot.  It  is  a new 
and  forming  society,  and  its  requirements  are  constantly 
changing.  But  all  this  makes  it  the  more  desirable  for 
the  people  of  California  to  look  their  difficulties  squarely 
in  the  face,  to  inquire  where  the  centers  of  wrong-doing 
and  failure  really  are,  and  to  apply  the  remedy.  If  they 
cannot  do  that  they  will  themselves  reap  the  reward  of 
their  negligence.' 

In  regard  to  fugitive  criminals  from  China,  I need  only 
say  that  the  ordinary  consular  examinations  at  Hong 
Kong  cannot  possibly  be  sufficiently  searching  to  pre- 
vent their  coming.  I doubt  whether  examinations  made 
at  Canton  would  be  thoroughly  effective,  but  they  might 
accomplish  more  or  less.  As  a detail  it  may  be  sug- 


* Since  the  date  of  the  evidence  upon 
which  these  remarks  were  founded, 
a reformation  of  the  police  force 
of  San  Francisco  has  been  effected. 
The  bill  was  introduced  into  the 
legislature  by  Mr.  McCoppin,  upon 
whose  mind,  as  we  may  judge,  the 
evidence  to  which  I have  referred, 
had  made  much  the  same  impres- 
sion as  it  did  upon  my  own.  As 
finally  adopted,  provision  was  made 
for  the  control  of  the  force  by  three 
citizens,  appointed  by  the  judges  of 
the  local  courts.  In  this  way  the 
force  has  been  removed,  more  or 


less  perfectly  from  political  influ- 
ences. I'he  number  of  policemen 
has  been  largely  augmented,  and, 
if  I am  not  misinformed,  the  class 
of  special  officers  has  been  entirely 
done  away  with.  The  statements 
of  citizens  with  whom  I have  con- 
versed, and  my  own  observations, 
indicate  that  the  reform  has  been 
beneficial  in  a high  degree.  In 
point  of  fact  one  hears  at  the  mo- 
ment very  little  of  the  hoodlum  class, 
and  very  little  of  the  personal  abuse 
of  the  Chinese. 


NEED  OF  LEGISLATION. 


289 


gested  that  the  certificates  granted  at  Canton  should  be 
given  to  the  individuals,  to  be  vised  at  Hong  Kong  and 
taken  up  by  the  customs  authorities  at  San  Francisco. 
At  present  but  one  certificate  is  given  to  the  male  pas- 
sengers leaving  Hong  Kong  by  any  one  vessel,  and  all 
that  the  customs  officers  can  do  is  to  count  the  number 
arriving  in  order  to  see  whether  the  five  hundred  or  a 
thousand  covered  by  the  certificate  is  exceeded  by  the 
actual  arrivals.  Ah  Ben,  Ah  Hoy,  Kin  Sam  and  a host  of 
other  clean  looking,  respectable  Chinamen  may  be  passed 
by  the  consul  and  their  places  supplied  at  the  moment  of 
sailing  by  other  persons  who  may  answer  to  the  same 
names,  but  who  may  be  quite  a different  lot.  To  pre- 
vent this  sort  of  work  the  consulates  must  be  enabled  to 
do  their  work  thoroughly,  and  to  follow  it  up  in  such 
manner  as  to  secure  satisfactory  results.  All  this  could 
be  accomplished,  but  a person  who  is  familiar  with  the 
difficulties  attending  the  carrying  out  of  reforms  in  our 
consular  service,  owing  to  the  lack  of  interest  shown  in 
the  subject  by  Congress,  and  the  great  preoccupation  of 
that  body,  may  be  permitted  to  doubt  whether  much  will 
be  accomplished  in  that  direction  until  the  Pacific  coast 
delegation  takes  up  the  business  in  an  earnest  and  ener- 
getic manner.  There  are  now  among  the  representatives 
of  that  district,  as  there  always  have  been,  men  of  great 
activity  and  influence  who  will  act  wisely  if  they  study 
the  case  thoroughly.  I shall  be  much  pleased  if  any- 
thing which  I have  said  shall  contribute  to  give  a right 
direction  to  their  efforts.  I have  received  much  kind- 
ness at  their  hands,  and  while  I do  not  share  in  the  dread 
of  the  Chinese  which  characterizes  them,  I do  share 
largely  in  their  attachment  to  the  region  from  which  they 
come  and  in  their  desire  to  see  it  develop  and  ‘increase 
happily  and  broadly. 

It  remains  to  speak  of  the  class  of  diseased  person^ 


290 


GOOD  DISPOSITION 


who,  it  is  said,  come  from  China,  more  particularly  lepers. 
I imagine  that  there  is  no  danger  of  the  spread  of  that 
disease  among  our  own  people.  It  exists  in  China  in  a 
mild  form,  comparatively,  and  does  not  appear  to  be  an 
object  of  dread.  But  it  should  be  dealt  with  first,  by  the 
examiners  in  China,  and  then  by  the  health  officers  in 
California.  The  experience  of  the  past  indicates  that 
very  few,  indeed,  of  the  class  in  question  reach  our  shores, 
and  that  these  few  may  be  returned  again  to  China.  But 
if  this  shall  not  be  practicable,  or  if  it  shall  not  seem  just, 
certainly  the  State  or  nation  should  be  able  to  provide 
an  asylum  for  them.  The  support  of  one,  two  or  three 
dozen  of  such  persons  would  not  prove  a great  burden. 

There  are  those  who  will  not  be  persuaded  by  what  I 
said  in  an  earlier  chapter,  to  indicate  that  there  are  no 
contract-laborers  among  the  Chinese  in  California.  To 
these  I have  only  one  word  to  say  in  concluding  this 
chapter.  The  Chinese  authorities  are  not  less  adverse  to 
this  business  than  our  own.  They  have  cut  off  all  emi- 
gration to  Cuba  and  to  Peru,  because  it  partook  of  this 
character.  They  have  insisted  that  persons  seeking  to 
go  to  those  regions  shall  produce  proof  that  they  go 
voluntarily  and  that  they  are  prepared  to  pay  their 
passages  out  of  their  own  means.  They  have  gone  so 
far,  in  order  that  no  possible  opportunity  may  be  given 
to  agents  or  employers  to  set  up  any  declarations  which 
may,  in  any  way,  threaten  the  independence  of  the  emi- 
grants after  they  have  reached  their  destinations.  They 
have  never  had  any  reason  to  believe  that  such  a thing 
as  contract-labor  exists  among  their  people  in  our  country, 
and  it  is  no  betrayal  of  diplomatic  secrets,  or  transactions, 
to  declare  that  they  are  as  ready  to  meet  our  wishes  in 
this  respect  as  we  are  to  enforce  them. 

All  the  evils  which  I have  pointed  out  may  be  dealt 
with,  then,  within  the  lines  of  existing  treaties.  Free- 


OF  THE  CHINESE. 


291 


men,  and  honest,  good  men,  be  they  Chinese  or  other, 
have  the  right,  by  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  to  come 
among  us,  and  once  among  us  they  have  a right  to  the 
equal  protection  of  our  laws.  But  criminals,  contract- 
laborers,  if  you  please,  lewd  women,  and  diseased  persons, 
we  have  a right  to  exclude.  The  Chinese  Government 
will  assist  us  to  do  so  much.  What  more  do  we  want  ? 


PART  IV.— CHAPTER  I. 


FEARS  OF  AN  OVERFLOWING  IMMIGRATION  OF  THE 

CHINESE.  THE  VIEWS  OF  ANTI-CHINESE  PARTISANS.  ' 

There  is  no  danger  of  a large  influx  of  the  Chinese.  Examination  of  the 
declarations  which  have  been  made  on  this  subject.  The  report  of 
the  Congressional  commission.  Its  declarations  not  sustained  by  the 
evidence.  The  report  of  the  committee  on  education  and  labor.  Its 
exaggerated  tone.  The  population  of  China.  Wages  in  China. 
Fares  to  California,  &c.  The  debate  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
on  the  fifteen-passenger  bill.  Remarks  of  Mr.  Willis,  Mr.  Page, 
Mr.  Haskell,  Mr.  Davis,  Mr.  Corbett  and  Mr.  Money.  The  debate 
in  the  Senate.  Remarks  of  Governor  Booth,  Mr.  Jones,  Mr.  Matthews, 
INIr.  Blaine.  The  “hordes  of  China.”  Fares  to  California  again. 
The  differences  between  the  Caucasian  and  the  Chinaman.  The 
difference  overlooked  by  anti-Chinese  partisans.  It  will  be  time 
enough  to  legislate  to  exclude  the  Chinese  when  their  tendency  to 
come  among  us  is  established. 

I have  endeavored  in  the  several  chapters  of  parts  two 
and  three-of  this  book,  to  show  that  the  Chinese  have  been 
of  very  great  advantage  to  the  material  interests  of  Cal- 
ifornia, that  they  have  increased  the  opportunities  of  our 
own  people  for  enterprise,  and  conduced  to  their  conven- 
ience and  comfort  in  a very  marked  degree.  I have 
endeavored  also  to  show  that  many  of  the  objections 
which  have  been  advanced  against  them  have  no  foun- 
dation in  fact,  and  that  certain  evils  which  do  exist 
among  them  may  be  dealt  with  more  or  less  perfectly 
and  successfully  by  intelligent  action  on  the  spot  and  in 
China. 

In  the  chapters  which  follow,  forming  part  three  of 
this  book,  I shall  deal  with  the  prospects  of  Chinese  im- 
migration, and  shall  endeavor  to  prove  that  an  over- 
whelming influx  of  their  class  is  not  to  be  expected,  and 


THE  FUTURE  OF  IMMIGRATION. 


293 


that  it  is  doubtful  even  whether  they  will  continue  to 
arrive  in  such  numbers  as  to  occasion  uneasiness  on  the 
part  of  those  who  are  disposed  to  disfavor  their  immi- 
gration most  strongly. 

It  has  been  usual  to  make  a very  simple  argument  in 
regard  to  the  prospects  of  Chinese  immigration.  People 
have  said  ; — “ There  are  four  hundred  millions  of  China- 
“ men  in  their  native  land.  Population  there  is  so  ex- 
“ cessive  that  the  masses  are  brought  to  the  closest  econ- 
“ omies,  and  wages  are  reduced  almost  to  the  starvation 
"point.  But  on  our  side  of  the  Pacific  is  an  immense 
“ extent  of  almost  unoccupied  territory,  which  is  favora- 
“ ble  to  life,  to  production  and  to  comfort.  Means  have 
“ been  provided  by  which  the  voyage  hither  has  been 
“ made  easy,  safe  and  inexpensive.  The  way  has  been 
“opened  and  the  flow  of  migration  has  begun.  We  have 
“ a right  to  expect — we  would  be  unwise  if  we  did  not 
“expect — an  immense  movement  from  Asia.  There  is 
“ danger  that  we  shall  be  Mongolianized.” 

The  train  of  argument  thus  presented  is  logical,  and 
has  convinced  many  people.  I believe,  in  point  of  fact, 
that  it  is  the  supposed  danger  of  an  immense  Chinese 
movement  toward  our  shores  that  has  occasioned  the 
greater  part  of  the  anxiety  which  has  been  felt  in  regard 
to  the  future  of  our  relations  with  that  race  upon  our  own 
soil.  The  same  apprehensions  exist  in  many  minds  in 
reference  to  all  immigration.  The  time  has  come  in  our 
history  when  Americans  may  very  well  raise  a question 
whether  it  would  not  be  as  well  for  our  permanent  inter- 
ests if  all  immigration  should  cease,  and  that  the  people 
now  upon  our  soil  should  be  allowed  to  possess  it  in  perpe- 
tuity, developing  their  industries,  their  institutions,  their 
social  and  national  life,  free  from  extraneous  and  disturb- 
ing influences.  However  this  may  be,  it  is  appropriate 
that  I should  point  out  with  precision  what  has  been  said 


294 


THE  FEATS  ENTERTAINED. 


in  this  respect  in  regard  to  the  Chinese,  and  examine  its 
bearing. 

Take  for  instance  the  following  extract  from  the  report 
of  the  Congressional  commission  ; — 

“To  any  one  reading  the  testimony  which  we  lay  be- 
“fore  the  two  houses,  it  will  become  painfully  evident 
“ that  the  Pacific  coast  must  in  time  become  either  Amer- 
“ ican  or  Mongolian.  There  is  a vast  hive  from  which 
“ immigrants  may  swarm,  and  circumstances  may  send 
“ them  in  enormous  numbers  to  this  country.” 

The  view  thus  advanced  by  the  majority  of  the  com- 
mittee is  qualified  in  its  form.  There  is  nothing  espe- 
cially painful  in  the  proposition  that  the  Pacific  coast 
must  in  time  become  either  American  or  Mongolian.  It 
would  be  painful  to  think  of  that  fair  region  subordinated 
to  the  Chinese  or  to  any  other  outside  control.  But  it  is 
already  American  and  likely  to  remain  so.  It  may  be 
true  that  there  is  “ a vast  hive”  of  Chinese  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Pacific,  and  that  circumstances  may  send 
them  to  our  country  “ in  enormous  numbers.”  This  lan- 
guage confesses  that  the  danger  is  in  the  future.  It  is 
guarded  and  qualified.  But  the  majority  of  the  commit- 
tee speak  more  positively  a moment  later.  It  is  a rule, 
perhaps,  that  people  who  have  failed  to  study  a subject 
in  all  its  parts,  should  grow  more  positive  as  they  proceed 
to  state  conclusions.  In  the  last  paragraph  but  one  of 
their  report  they  say  ; — 

“ This  problem  is  too  important  to  be  treated  with  in- 
“ difference.  Congress  should  solve  it,  having  due  regard 
“ to  any  rights  already  accrued  under  existing  treaties 
“and  to  humanity.  But  it  must  be  solved,  in  the  judg- 
“ ment  of  the  committee,  unless  our  Pacific  possessions 
“are  to  be  ultimately  given  over  to  a race  alien  in  all  its 
“tendencies,  which  will  make  of  it,  practically prov- 
“inces  of  China  rather  than  States  of  the  Union.” 


THE  DANGER  NOT  DEMONSTRA  TED. 


295 


Now  there  is  no  man  in  our  country  who  can  contem- 
plate this  result  with  equanimity.  I,  at  least,  should  not 
be  able  to  dwell  contentedly  upon  the  prospect  of  Amer- 
icans occupying  and  controlling  a large  part  of  China. 
I doubt  whether  it  would  conduce  to  the  broadest  inter- 
ests of  humanity  to  have  such  a thing  occur.  Much  less 
would  I accept  contentedly  the  idea  of  California  becom- 
ing Mongolianized,  to  use  a word  which  is  constantly 
in  the  mouths  of  the  anti-Chinese  party. 

But  does  this  painful  danger  exist  ? If  it  does,  the 
honorable  gentlemen  who  composed  the  majority  of  the 
Congressional  commission  should  have  demonstrated 
the  fact.  They  had  no  right  to  pass  it  over  in  the  two 
brief  paragraphs — clauses  of  paragraphs — which  I have 
cited.  They  had  no  right  to  speak  once  in  language 
qualified  so  far  that  it  means  nothing,  and  again  in 
language  which  is  positive  and  certain.  They  were 
charged  by  the  nation  with  a solemn  duty.  They  made 
a farce  of  it  by  reporting  back  to  Congress  1,200  pages  of 
indigested  testimony  with  less  than  eight  pages  of  com- 
ments upon  it,  and  by  passing  comments,  some  of  which 
as  I have  already  shown,  were  carelessly  and  inconsid- 
erately put  forward.  There  is  something  due  by  honor- 
able senators  and  honorable  members  to  their  own  dig- 
nity and  good  name,  and  something  due  to  the  dignity 
and  good  name  of  the  nation.  They  receive  pay  from 
the  nation,  and  they  produce  what  ? A report  of  eight 
pages,  on  twelve  hundred  pages  of  wide-reaching,  in- 
volved testimony.  They  produce  a report  which  passes 
by  the  most  serious  of  all  the  questions  involved  in  less 
than  a half  dozen  inconsistent  and  uncertain  sentences, 
a report  which  sounds  more  as  if  it  was  intended  for 
a political  campaign  document  than  a solemn,  judicial 
exposition  of  facts  and  conclusions.  It  is  not  the  only 
report  of  the  kind  which  has  emanated  from  the  brains 
of  Congressmen. 


296 


A TIME-WORN  ARGUMENT. 


The  committee  on  education  and  labor  from  whose 
report  I have  quoted  a statement  in  regard  to  the  num- 
ber of  Chinese  in  California,  in  the  chapter  treating  of 
that  subject,  deal  more  cautiously  with  the  future  of 
Chinese  immigration  than  the  joint  committee  did. 
After  setting  forth  that  in  the  year  1878  there  were 
150,000  Chinese  in  the  United  States,  an  estimate  which 
I have  shown  to  be  fifty  per  cent,  in  excess  of  the  actual 
number,  they  proceed  as  follows  ; — 

“ China  contains  about  one-third  of  all  the  human 
“ beings  on  the  globe.  Its  population  is  ten  times  greater 
“ than  the  United  States.  The  density  of  the  population 
“ may  be  realized  by  recalling  the  fact,  that  in  the  State 
“ of  Ohio,  the  number  of  persons  to  the  square  mile  is 
“ about  70,  while  in  many  provinces  in  China  it  exceeds 
“ 400,  and  the  average  is  300.  The  wages  of  the  laboring 
“classes  in  China  range  from  three  to  five  dollars  per 
“ month.  Their  condition  is  a hard  and  undesirable  one. 
“ They  are  exceedingly  migratory  in  their  disposition, 
“and  though  their  ports  have  been  so  recently  open  to 
“ free  commerce,  they  are  to  be  found  to-day  in  eveiy 
“ part  of  the  civilized  world.  They  find  in  America  a 
“ congenial  climate,  high  wages,  and  a more  liberal  gov- 
“ ernment.  They  are  separated  from  us  by  a compara- 
“ tively  narrow  ocean,  which  is  pacific  in  nature  as  well' 
“as  in  name.  The  passage  can  be  made  quickly  and 
“cheaply,  the  usual  price  being  $40  to  $50,  which,  by 
“ competition,  has  been  reduced  as  low  as  $12.  If  any 
“ are  too  poor  to  pay  this  small  sum,  brokers  stand  ready 
“ to  advance  the  necessary  amount,  to  be  secured  by  a 
“ mortgage-contract  upon  their  future  wages. 

“ Under  these  inviting  conditions,  it  is  fair  to  presume 
“ that  there  will  be  no  decrease  in  the  future,  either  in  the 
“ extent  or  rapidity  of  Chinese  immigration.” 

And  so  the  conclusion  is  reached,  that  after  another  30 


FALSE  PREMISES. 


297 


years  we  may  have,  say  300,000  Chinese  upon  our  soil. 
Perhaps  the  committee  meant  more  than  this.  It  is  hard 
to  tell  exactly  what  the  report  does  intend  to  indicate. 
The  chairman  might  be  able  to  say  in  what  respect  the 
extent  of  Chinese  immigration  and  its  rapidity  differ. 
He  might  have  expressed  himself  more  lucidly  and  ac- 
curately in  several  ways.  It  is  a consolation,  however, 
to  know  that,  taking  his  own  estimate,  we  have  to  add 
to  the  1 50,000  who  have  arrived  in  thirty  years,  another 
150,000,  to  reach  the  conclusion  that  in  the  year  1910 
A.  D.,  we  shall  have  no  more  than  the  result,  as  a state- 
ment of  our  Chinese  population  at  a period  when  we 
are  expecting  that  our  whole  population  will  number, 
say  75,000,000.  At  this  rate,  that  inevitable  day  when 
our  Pacific  coast  fair  territories  are  to  become  provinces 
of  our  trans-Pacific  ally,  may  be  said  to  be  so  distant 
that  none  of  us  need  to  concern  ourselves  greatly  about  it. 

Let  us  dwell  a few  moments  upon  the  several  premises 
presented  by  this  report.  It  has  the  merit  of  being  fuller 
in  this  direction  than  that  of  the  Congressional  commis- 
sion, and  we  are  the  better  able  to  estimate  its  value. 

In  the  first  place,  were  the  members  of  the  committee 
entirely  sure  that  the  population  of  China  is  one-third 
that  of  the  whole  world,  or  that  it  is  ten  times  greater 
than  that  of  the  United  States.  If  they  are,  then  they 
have  reached  a conclusion  as  to  a matter  about  which 
a vast  variety  of  opinions  exist  among  persons  very  well 
acquainted  v/ith  China,  and  very  much  in  the  habit  of 
studying  the  various  problems  presented  by  that  country. 

Granting,  in  the  second  place,  that  300  persons  to  the 
square  mile  is  the  average  of  population  in  China,  are 
they  at  all  sure  that  so  great  a number  do  not  exist 
comfortably,  and  that  the  lives  of  individuals  may  not  be 
pleasanter  there  than  if  they  should  transfer  themselves 
to  a foreign  soil. 


298 


FALSE  REASONING. 


Granting  that  wages  are  from  three  to  five  dollars  a 
month  in  China,  may  it  not  be  true  that  the  sum  which 
a Chinaman  may  earn  at  home  will  give  him  as  many  of 
the  necessities  and  gratifications  of  life  there  as  twenty 
dollars  would  among  us. 

By  what  process  of  reasoning,  again,  did  the  members 
of  the  committee  reach  the  conclusion  that  the  Chinese 
are  migratory.  Where  have  they  emigrated  to  What 
states  have  they  subjected  and  made  “practically  prov- 
“ inces  of  China  .?  ” Have  they  overrun  Japan,  or  Corea,  or 
Annam,  or  Burmah,  or  Siam  } Have  they  destroyed 
the  autonomy  of  any  one  of  these  surrounding  inferior 
nations.^  Have  they  invaded  India  or  Persia,  or  Turkey? 

“ They  are  found  in  every  part  of  the  civilized  world.’' 
How  many  then  in  England,  in  France,  in  Spain,  in  Ger- 
many, in  Russia  ? 

“ They  find  in  America,  a congenial  climate,  higher 
“ wages,  and  a more  liberal  government.”  It  may  be  that 
they  have  found  all  these  good  things,  but  is  there  very 
much  to  be  said  about  our  liberality  to  them  ? 

“ They  are  separated  from  us  by  a comparatively  nar- 
“ row  ocean,  which  is  pacific  in  nature,  as  well  as  in 
“ name.”  Where  then  will  be  found  a broader  sea,  or 
where  a more  tempestuous  one  in  the  latitude  where  these 
people  must  voyage? 

When,  and  for  how  long  have  fares  ranged  at  $12,  and 
where,  in  the  last  place  is  the  proof  that  brokers  stand 
ready  to  advance  money  to  persons  proposing  to  emi- 
grate ? 

I shall  not  stop  here  to  make  an  extended  argument, 
or  to  adduce  proofs  to  show  how  little  of  all  that  has 
been  presented  in  this  direction  by  the  committee  on 
education  and  labor  is  worthy  of  serious  attention.  It 
may  be,  perhaps,  that  it  is  the  practice  of  Congres- 
sional committees  to  present  broad  conclusions,  and  that 


ARBITRARY  LEGISLATION. 


299 


the  details  of  their  reasoning,  and  the  fundamental  facts 
may  be  found  in  the  debates  to  which  their  reports  some- 
times give  rise. 

I have  before  me,  as  I write,  the  debates  which  took 
place  in  the  two  houses  of  Congress  in  January  and 
February,  1879,  upon  the  restrict  immigration  from 

China  to  fifteen  persons  upon  any  one  vessel,  the  one 
which  having  been  passed  by  Congress  in  defiance  of  in- 
ternational obligation  and  the  plighted  faith  of  the  nation, 
was  vetoed  by  the  President.  In  this  debate,  for  the  first 
time,  the  great  questions  involved  were  under  discussion. 
The  occasion  was  such  as  should  have  brought  forth  all 
the  strength  of  the  able  and  experienced  managers  of  the 
anti-Chinese  agitation.  Let  us  see  what  those  managers 
said  in  regard  to  this  special,  and  this  very  important 
question,  the  future  of  Chinese  immigration. 

The  bill  originated  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 
It  was  reported  to  the  House  from  the  committee  on 
education  and  labor  by  the  chairman,  Mr.  Willis,  on 
the  29th  day  of  January,  1879,  who  sent  to  the  clerk’s 
desk  to  be  read  a special  report,  which  dealt  with  three- 
points  only:  ist.  Can  Congress  repeal  a treaty.^  2d. 
Previous  efforts  at  relief.  3d.  Restrictive  legislation 
necessary.  The  whole  of  this,  as  reported  in  the  Con- 
gressio'txl  Record,  occupies  two  columns.  It  contains 
not  a word  to  indicate  the  views  of  the  members  of  the 
committee  as  to  the  future  prospects  of  Chinese  immi- 
gration. It  was  supplemented  by  some  remarks  of  the 
chairman  of  the  committee,  but  these  are  equally  silent 
upon  the  point  in  question. 

Mr.  Page  of  California,  a staunch  advocate  of  the  bill, 
was  practically  the  first  speaker  in  support  of  it.  I find 
in  his  remarks  this  sentence  only  which  indicates  his  view 
of  the  matter  : — 

“ China  can  spare  ten  millions  of  hardy,  industrious 


300 


DEBATE  IN  THE  HOUSE 


“paupers,  and  under  present  legislation  and  adminis- 
“tration  on  this  subject,  it  is  only  a question  of  time  as 
“ to  the  period  that  shall  mark  their  coming.” 

The  conceptions  of  the  gentleman  from  California  as 
to  what  constitutes  a pauper,  appear  somewhat  unusual. 
It  is  difficult  to  say  too,  why  if  China  can  spare  ten  mil- 
lions of  paupers  she  may  not  be  able  to  spare  one  hund- 
red millions.  It  may  be  that  Mr.  Page  sincerely  be- 
lieves that  she  can  do  so,  but  however  this  may  be,  he 
gives  no  reason  saving  the  ability  of  China  to  “ spare  ” 
them,  why  we  should  expect  them  to  come. 

The  remarks  of  Mr.  Page  and  those  of  Mr.  Willis  were 
the  only  ones  made  to  the  House  in  advocacy  of  the  bill 
before  it  passed  to  vote,  but  certain  members  obtained 
leave  to  print  remarks.  Among  them  was  Mr.  Haskell, 
of  Kansas.  I find  in  his  speech  just  this  much  and  no 
more  in  regard  to  the  prospects  of  immigration  ; — 

“ It  is  estimated  that  the  Chinese  empire  contains  at 
“ the  lowest  estimate,  300,000,0CX)  of  people.  The  cost  of 
“ emigration  to  this  country  does  not  exceed  $40.  The 
“supply  is  inexhaustible.  The  price  of  labor  in  China 
“is  ten  cents  a day,  here  it  is  at  least  $1.  The  premium 
“ offered  to  the  Chinamen  is  a standing  and  sufficient  in- 
“ ducement  to  bring  them  here.” 

Remarks  by  Mr.  Davis,  of  California,  were  also  printed. 
They  contain  the  same  argument  in  different  language  ; — 

“ The  question  remains,  are  they  likely  to  come  in  suf- 
“ ficient  numbers  to  justify  the  proposed  legislation } 
“ On  the  one  side  of  the  Pacific  ocean  is  a vast  empire, 
“densely  packed  with  human  beings,  numbering  hun- 
“ dreds  of  millions,  where  the  wages  of  a common  laborer 
“ are  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  cents  a day,  and  whose 
“ poorer  classes  are  plunged  into  such  depths  of  poverty 
“ as  we  can  hardly  conceive.  On  the  other  side  is  a young 
“ and  blooming  country  waiting  to  be  supplied  with  pop- 


ON  THE  FIFTEEN-PASSENGER  BILL. 


301 


“ulation,  a land  with  genial  climate  and  fertile  soil,  a 
“ paradise  of  hope  to  these  wretched  men,  where  a few 
“ years  labor  will  enable  them  to  return  home  rich  for 
“life.  The  passage  across  varies  from  fifteen  to  fifty 
“ dollars,  and  the  wealthy  men  of  China  are  ready  and 
“ anxious  to  ship  them  over  under  labor  contracts.  Will 
“ they  come  Nay,  they  are  here  already,  a hundred  and 
“ fifty  thousand  strong,  and  in  California  they  are  numer- 
“ ous  enough  to  form  one-third  of  the  adult  male  popu- 
“ lation  of  the  State.” 

Mr.  Corbett,  of  Wyoming,  repeated  the  argument  in 
the  following  words  ; — 

“ China,  with  its  swarming  hordes  is  a hive  from  whence 
“an  inundating  flood  of  cheap  laborers  could  easily  be 
“poured  forth  into  the  United  States,  sufficient  to  drive 
“out  or  destroy  the  entire  labor  force  of  the  country 
“ without  creating  any  perceptible  effect  upon  her  own 
“ affairs,  except  a slight  relief  from  the  consequences  of 
“ her  own  over-crowded  condition.” 

Mr.  Money,  of  Mississippi,  after  quoting  from  a book 
written  by  Dr.  Medhurst  forty  years  ago,  reciting  the 
progress  made  by  the  Chinese  in  some  surrounding  dis- 
tricts, said  ; — 

“ Our  Chinese  commerce  has  established  a steam  ferry 
“across  the  Pacific,  and,  as  it  increases,  its  facilities  for 
“ transportation  increase.  The  carrying  capacity  of  a 
“ single  steamship  is  five  thousand  human  souls,  and  in  a 
“ few  years,  at  the  present  ratio,  a half  million  Chinamen 
“ can  be  placed  in  San  Francisco  in  a single  year.” 

And  with  these  and  no  other  arguments  on  this  very 
important  branch  of  the  subject,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  the  Chinese,  who  have  been  trembling  for  the  last 
fifty  years  at  the  encroachments  of  European  power  in 
Asia  and  upon  their  own  territories,  are  to  overwhelm  us, 
the  bill  passed  the  House  by  a vote  of  155  to  72;  61 
members  not  voting. 


302 


THE  DEBATE  IN  THE  SENATE 


In  the  Senate  the  special  question  now  under  consid- 
eration was  not  treated  of  by  Mr.  Sargent  or  Mr.  Grover 
who  spoke  first  in  advocacy  of  the  bill.  But  in  Mr. 
Booth’s  remarks  I find  the  following  language  ; — 

“ The  doctrine  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest  does  not 
“ mean  the  survival  of  the  best  or  the  strongest,  but  of 
“that  best  fitted  to  its  surroundings.  In  war  the  strong 
“ conquer ; in  the  sharp  competitions  of  peace,  in  the 
“ struggle  for  daily  bread,  they  whose  wants  are  reduced 
“to  a minimum.  A class  of  laborers  whose  wants, 
“ natural  and  artificial,  are  the  least,  will,  if  its  volume  be 
“ large  enough,  take  the  place  of  every  other.” 

This  is  an  attempt  at  least  to  deal  with  the  question 
philosophically,  but  it  leaves  untouched  the  fundamental 
question  whether  the  Chinese  are  likely  to  come  in  great 
numbers,  and  the  reasoning  as  to  the  survival  of  the 
fittest  is  specious.  Who  is  the  fittest  Is  it  true  that 
the  man  “ Avhose  wants  are  reduced  to  a minimum  ” will 
take  the  place  of  the  intelligent,  skillful  man  who  brings 
to  bear  upon  his  surroundings  something  more  than  a 
demand  for  a few  pounds  of  meat  or  of  rice  daily.?  How 
is  it  that  to-day  England  and  America,  countries  where 
labor  is  dear,  and  where  men  do  not  live  as  cheaply  as 
they  might  do,  are  placing  all  Asia  under  tribute  to  them 
for  the  materials  with  which  the  “ hordes  ” of  that  great 
continent  clothe  themselves  .?  With  men  at  least,  or  rather 
with  men  as  with  other  creatures,  is  it  not  the  individ- 
uals who  are  best  fitted  to  all  their  surroundings  who 
survive  .?  Is  the  capacity  to  live  cheaply  more  than  one 
of  the  conditions  involved  .?  Is  not  the  Malay,  who  has 
been  defeated  in  labor  by  the  Chinaman  wherever  they 
have  met  upon  a common  ground,  a cheaper  liver  than 
the  Chinaman  ? Is  not  the  Russian  peasant  a cheaper 
laborer  than  the  English  operative  .?  Is  not  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  the  most  extravagant  of  all  human  beings,  and 


ON  THE  FIFTEEN-PASSENGER  BILL. 


303 


is  he  not  the  most  successful  ? In  point  of  fact,  as 
I believe,  if  you  will  present  to  me  a people  who  have 
reduced  the  expense  of  living  to  a minimum,  I shall  be 
able  to  point  out  to  you  facts  enough  to  prove  that  that 
people  occupy  a low  scale  among  the  nations,  and  that  in 
the  ways  of  peace  and  of  war  there  is  not  much  to  be 
feared  from  them. 

The  senator  from  Nevada,  Mr.  Jones,  made  the  fullest 
address  of  all  those  made  to  the  Senate  in  advocacy  of 
the  fifteen-passenger  bill.  He  presented  matter  taken 
from  the  testimony  given  before  the  Congressional  com- 
mission, and  from  a wide  reading  upon  the  subject  at 
issue.  His  quotations  and  his  arguments  follow  the  lines 
of  the  anti-Chinese  party  generally,  but  his  reasoning 
goes  further  than  that  of  any  other  member  of  that  party. 
Whether  it  always  tells  in  favor  of  his  propositions  I shall 
leave  my  readers  to  judge,  after  citing  some  parts  of  his 
speech  which  are  pertinent  to  our  present  inquiry.  The 
headings  are  Mr.  Jones’  own  ; — 

“ENDURING  WEALTH  RESULTS  ONLY  FROM  FREEDOM. 

“ Apparently  no  scheme  for  the  rapid  creation  and  ac- 
“ cumulation  of  wealth,  promised  better  than  that  of  rais- 
“ing  tobacco,  rice,  cotton  and  sugar  in  our  Southern 
“ States  by  African  slaves,  in  whom  was  found  the  rare 
“ combination  of  great  bodily  vigor,  with  a docility  which 
“ made  it  practicable  to  obtain  their  labor  at  the  cost  of 
“the  coarsest  subsistence.  The  scheme  failed  in  prac- 
“tice.  In  the  long  run  and  upon  a large  scale  the  cheap 
“ labor  of  inferior  races  never  cheapens  production. 

“ When  wages  are  high  and  workmen  educated  and 
“intelligent,  there  is  a greater  general  capacity  in  the 
“ community  to  avail  itself  of  the  forces  of  nature  and  of 
“ labor-saving  expedients  and  appliances.” 

It  seems,  then,  that  the  senator  from  California  and 


304 


THE  ARGUMENT  OF 


the  senator  from  Nevada  are  not  in  accord  in  their 
reasonings.  The  one  holds  that  the  cheap  laborer  will 
drive  the  dearer  one  to  the  wall.  The  other  holds  that 
there  are  other  things  to  be  considered  besides  the  mere 
question  of  the  capacity  to  work  cheaply  and  with  docility. 
The  latter  proceeds  to  say  ; — 

“ Thus,  we  know  that  the  business  of  weaving  cotton 
“cloth  has  been  transferred,  within  a century,  from  the 
“ labor  of  the  East,  which  is  nominally  the  cheapest, 
“ reckoned  by  daily  money-wages,  to  the  labor  of  England 
“ and  the  United  States,  which  is  really  cheaper,  reckoned 
“according  to  its  efficiency,  as  aided  by  machinery  more 
“ cunning  than  human  hands. 

“It  is  thus,  too,  that  the  wheat  of  this  country  is  able 
“to  compete  in  the  British  and  other  markets  with  the 
“ same  grain  produced  by  servile,  or  any  poorly  paid  labor, 
“ in  countries  where  land  is  equally  fertile  and  abundant. 
“ American  plows,  harrows,  and  reapers,  American  modes 
“ of  transportation  and  handling,  enable  their  competition 
“ to  be  sustained,  while  the  American  scale  of  wages  is 
“ still  kept  high.” 

The  reasoning  of  Mr.  Jones  is  incontrovertible,  so  far, 
but  Avhen  he  goes  further  and  says  that  it  applies  only  to 
cheap  labor  and  dear  labor,  as  employed  in  their  native 
regions,  he  is  not,  as  I conceive,  upon  solid  ground  ; — 

“ALIEN  AND  CHEAP  LABOR  DESTROY  CIVILIZATION.” 

■“  These  and  other  illustrations,  which  might  be  in- 
“ definitely  multiplied,  demonstrate  the  unsoundness  of 
“the  proposition,  that  the  introduction  of  a cheaper 
“laborer  is  no  more  injurious  to  the  American  workman 
“ than  the  introduction  of  labor-saving  machinery.  The 
“ cheaper  laborer  prevents  him  from  getting  employment, 

“ whereas,  the  improved  machinery,  by  making  his  labor 
“ more  efficient,  secures  to  him  better  wages  and  more 


SENATOR  JONES. 


305 


“abundant  employment.  Nothing  is  more  certain  than 
"that  labor  is  more  in  demand,  and  more  highly  re- 
“ warded  in  proportion,  as  machinery  and  labor-saving 
“ appliances  of  all  kinds  are  multiplied.  So,  also,  there 
“ is  nothing  more  certain  than  that  labor  is  less  in  de- 
“mand,  and  receives,  even  when  it  can  obtain  employ- 
“ ment,  a less  proportion  of  the  product  of  industry  in 
“ those  countries  which  adopt  as  their  policy,  the  intro- 
“ duction  of  the  cheap  labor  of  inferior  races.  The  preju- 
“ dices  against  the  introduction  of  machinery,  as  being 
“injurious  to  laborers,  have  long  since  given  way  before 
“the  practical  demonstration  of  the  fact  that,  just  in  pro- 
“ portion  as  labor-saving  appliances  increase  the  aggregate 
“ production  of  a community,  the  greater  is  the  fund  to 
“ be  divided  between  capital  and  labor,  and  the  laborers 
“ always  get  a share,  even  if  not  so  great  a share  as  they 
“ are  entitled  to,  of  the  increase  of  that  fund.” 

The  argument  of  Mr.  Jones  is,  in  the  main,  of  course, 
a sound  one,  but  thus  far,  I believe,  it  may  be  seriously 
questioned.  Skilled  labor  is  that  which  is  in  demand  in 
advanced  countries,  and  the  labor  of  the  people  of  less 
advanced  countries  is  never  of  this  sort,  and  it  does  not 
readily  become  so,  in  a measure  seriously  affecting  the 
employment  of  those  native  to  the  more  advanced  region. 
There  are  considerations  of  native  intelligence,  of  special 
education,  of  physical  vigor  and  endurance,  which  all  play 
a part  in  determining  the  result. 

“ From  this  statement  of  the  reasons  for  the  well  estab- 
“ lished  fact  that  the  better  paid  labor  of  more  advanced 
“ countries  is  able  to  sustain  and  triumph  in  the  compe- 
“ titions  of  commerce,  against  the  cheaper  labor  of  the  less 
“advanced  countries,  it  is  apparent  that  they  only  apply 
“ where  the  cheaper  labor  is  employed  in  the  native 
“ habitat  of  the  cheaper  laborer  and  under  the  circum- 
“ stances  which  there  surround  him.  When  he  is  trans- 


T 


306 


THE  ARGUMENT  OF 


“ planted  to  those  countries  in  which  the  machinery  and 
“appliances  and  conditions  of  superior  civilization  exist, 
“ these  reasons  do  not  apply,  or  apply  with  diminished 
“ force  and  the  competition  of  the  cheaper  laborer  be- 
“ comes  ruinous.” 

Does  it  become  ruinous  } Where  has  it  been  tried  ? 
The  proposition  is  broadly  stated.  Are  there  no  excep- 
tions to  the  rule  ? Can  it  be  stated  as  a general  rule  > 
Does  the  following  further  extract  from  Mr.  Jones’  argu- 
ment raise  any  questions  in  this  connection  which  deserve 
consideration  ? 

“No  man  ever  executed  such  great  works  in  various 
“ parts  of  the  globe,  and  under  such  diversified  circum- 
“ stances  in  respect  to  the  labor  employed,  as  the  English 
“railroad  contractor,  the  late  Thomas  Brassey.  It  is 
“ related  of  him  by  his  son  that  he  always  declared  it  to 
“ be  the  result  of  his  experience  that  the  money  cost  of 
“ different  quantities  of  work  was  not  substantially  dif- 
“ferent  under  widely  different  rates  of  money  wages. 
“ Mr.  Brassey  said  this  in  respect  to  railroads  and  similar 
“works,  when  cheap  labor  was  employed  in  the  native 
“ countries  of  the  cheap  laborers,  and  it  is  only  in  such 
“ cases  that  his  observation  can  be  sound.” 

Railroads,  canals,  public  works ! These,  as  it  would 
appear,  are  just  the  directions  in  which  cheap  labor  can 
be  utilized.  It  would  seem,  too,  that  the  labor  of  cheap 
laborers  must  be  less  expensive  in  their  native  habitat 
than  when  they  are  transferred  abroad  at  considerable 
expense  and  thrown  out  of  their  habitual  modes  of  life. 

In  looking  over  the  remarks  made  by  other  senators 
and  representatives,  I find  nothing  advanced  in  regard 
to  the  prospects  of  immigration  in  addition  to  what  I 
have  already  presented,  which  any  anti-Chinese  partisan 
would  desire  me  to  cite  here.  Among  the  other  speak- 
ers on  that  side,  however,  was  Mr.  Blaine,  and  I am  sure 


SENATOR  BLAINE. 


307 


that  it  will  be  interesting'  for  every  one  to  know  exactly 
what  he  had  to  say  on  this  point.  His  words  are  as  fol- 
lows ; — 

“ The  argument  is  often  put  forward  that  there  is  no 
“ particular  danger  of  numbers  coming  here  ; that  it  is 
“ not  a practical  question  ; and  as  the  honorable  senator 
“ from  Ohio  is  free  to  answer,  I ask  him  if  the  number 
“ should  mount  up  into  millions,  what  would  be  his  view 
“ then  ? 

Mr.  Matthews  ; — “ The  senator  seems  to  expect  a re- 
“ ply  to  his  inquiry.  I would  say  that  when  there  was  a 
“reasonable  apprehension  by  the  United  States  of  the 
“ immigration  mounting  up  to  such  numbers,  then  I 
“ would  take  that  into  consideration. 

Mr.  Blaine; — “Take  that  into  consideration!  The 
“senator  is  definite.  If  it  should  come  to  millions  in 
“ the  population  of  the  Pacific  slope,  he  would  begin  to 
“take  it  into  consideration.  That  is  practical  legisla- 
“ tion  ! That  is  legislation  for  an  evil  upon  us  to-day  I 
“ The  senator’s  statesmanship  is  certainly  of  a consider- 
“ate  kind.” 

The  senator  from  Maine  having  dealt  thus  unceremo- 
niously, one  cannot  say  considerately,  with  the  response 
of  his  colleague  from  Ohio,  went  on  as  follows  ; — 

“ Well,  what  about  the  question  of  numbers  ? Did  it 
“ ever  occur  to  my  honorable  friend  that  the  vast  myri- 
“ads  of  millions  almost,  as  you  might  call  them,  the  in- 
“ calculable  hordes  in  China,  are  much  nearer  to  the  Pa- 
“cific  coast  of  the  United  States  in  point  of  money  and 
“passage,  in  point  of  expense  in  reaching  it,  than  the 
•‘people  of  Kansas.  A m^n  in  Shanghae  or  Hong  Kong 
“can  be  delivered  at  San  Francisco  more  cheaply  than 
“ a man  in  Omaha.  I do  not  speak  of  the  Atlantic 
“ coast,  where  the  population  is  still  more  dense,  but  you 
“may  take  the  Mississippi  valley,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Ne- 


308 


THE  ARGUMENT  OF  SENATOR  BLAINE. 


“braska,  Kansas,  Missouri,  all  the  great  commonwealths 
“ of  that  valley,  and  they  are,  in  point  of  expense,  fur- 
“ ther  off  from  the  Pacific  slope  than  the  vast  hordes  in 
“China  and  Japan. 

“ I am  told  by  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  com- 
“ mercial  affairs  of  the  Pacific  side  that  a person  can  be 
“ sent  from  any  of  the  great  Chinese  ports  to  San  Fran- 
“ cisco  for  something  over  $30.  I suppose  in  an  emi- 
“ grant  train  over  the  Pacific  railroad  from  Omaha,  not  to 
“speak  of  the  expense  of  reaching  Omaha,  but  from  that 
“point  alone,  it  would  cost  $50 per  head,  and  that  would 
“ be  cheap  railroad  fare  as  things  go  in  this  country.  So 
“ that  in  point  of  practicability,  in  point  of  getting  there, 
“ the  Chinaman  to-day  has  an  advantage  over  an  Amer- 
“ ican  laborer  in  any  part  of  the  country,  except  in  the 
“ case  of  those  who  are  already  on  the  Pacific  coast.” 

The  senator  from  Maine  having  dealt  inconsiderately 
with  the  senator  from  Ohio,  having  quoted  his  language 
so  as  to  make  it  mean  something  else  than  its  right  pur- 
port, was  scarcely  more  accurate  in  his  general  state- 
ments and  inferences.  We  are  sufficiently  familiar  with 
the  expression  “ the  hordes”  of  China.  The  senator 
from  Maine  bettered  it  certainly  when  he  described  the 
population  as  “ the  vast  myriads  of  millions,  almost’' 
“ the  incalculable  hordes”  of  China.  All  this,  however, 
may  be  the  language  of  declamation,  somewhat  out  of 
place,  perhaps,  in  the  highest  deliberative  body  in  the 
land,  somewhat  savoring  of  stump-speaking;  but  certainly 
when  the  distinguished  senator  comes  down  to  ordinary 
matters,  the  price  of  steamship  and  railroad  fares,  he 
will  be  entirely  accurate.  Let  us  see. 

He  says  that  the  fare  from  any  of  the  great  China 
ports  to  San  Francisco  is  something  over  $30.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  it  is  something  over  $50.  Including  sun- 
dry necessary  expenses,  emigrants  from  Canton  will  pay. 


ERRONEOUS  STATEMENTS. 


309 


in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a hundred,  not  less  than  $6o. 
If  they  go  to  Hong  Kong  from  any  other  port,  to  sail 
from  there,  their  expenses  will  be  considerably  higher. 

Now  this  $6o  represents  what  ? If  wages  in  China  are 
$3  a month,  savings  possibly  maybe  $i  a month.  It 
will  take  the  laborer  then  sixty  months  or  five  years  to 
save  enough  to  pay  his  passage  to  San  Francisco. 

I am  not  able  to  say  how  much  it  costs  an  emigrant 
to  go  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco  via  Panama.  I 
doubt,  however,  whether  it  is  more  than  $50  or  $60. 

To  say  nothing  of  the  difference  in  the  wages  of  the 
American  laborer,  and  his  greater  ability  on  this  account 
to  pay  the  expense  of  passage  to  San  Francisco,  there  is 
something  to  be  added  in  regard  to  the  enterprise  of 
the  one  over  the  other. 

And  here  I desire  to  point  out  a fundamental  mistake 
made  by  all  persons  who  argue  as  Mr.  Blaine  does.  He 
belongs  to  an  enterprising  race,  and  he  judges  the  Asi- 
atic by  his  own  standard.  It  never  occurs  to  him  that  all 
recent  history  shows  the  difference  between  the  Asiatic  and 
the  Caucasian,  but  there  is  a difference  notwithstanding. 
Europe  and  America  are  monogamic  and  monotheis- 
tic ; Asia  is  polygamic  and  polytheistic.  To  judge  the 
Asiatic  by  a western  standard,  is  to  go  wilfully  wrong  on 
all  occasions.  The  fundamental  differences  indicated  by 
their  religious  tendencies,  and  by  their  social  organization 
characterize  them  throughout. 

The  reader  will  have  observed  that  I have  not  found 
very  much  in  the  declarations  of  anti-Chinese  partisans 
which  has  seemed  to  me  worthy  of  the  high  argument 
regarding  the  future  of  Chinese  immigration.  I recog- 
nize, nevertheless,  the  fact  that  an  influx  of  the  Chinese 
in  large  numbers  appears  a natural  thing  to  many  persons, 
to  those  even  who  are  as  anxious  as  I am  to  deal  justly 
with  the  Chinaman.  I shall  not  be  able,  probably  to  con- 


310 


RESTRICTIVE  MEASURES  UNNECESSARY. 


vince  any  others  that  such  an  influx  is  not  to  be  expected, 
but  for  those  who  are  seriously  desirous  of  reaching 
sound  conclusions,  I am  sure  that  I shall  be  able  to  pre- 
sent facts  and  considerations  which  will  entirely  justify 
the  position  of  Mr.  Matthews,  that  it  will  be  time  enough 
to  talk  of  restrictive  measures,  of  departing  from  our  tra- 
ditional policy,  when  reasonable  grounds  for  apprehend- 
ing an  overwhelming  immigration  are  established. 


PART  IV.— CHAPTER  II. 


FEARS  OF  AN  OVERFLOWING  IMMIGRATION  OF  THE 
CHINESE.  THE  DEMAND  FOR  THEIR 
LABOR  FAILING. 

The  failure  of  public  men  to  examine  into  the  prospects  of  immigration  cen- 
sured. The  demand  of  the  past  exceptional.  The  demand  failing. 
The  facts  in  regard  to  the  demand  for  railroad  building.  Testimony  of 
Mr.  Crocker,  Mr.  Strobridge,  Mr.  Colton,  and  Mr.  Evans.  Disabilities 
of  the  Chinese.  They  are  not  acquainted  with  our  language  and 
methods.  Their  inferior  physical  force.  Testimony  of  Governor  Low, 
Dr.  Meares,  and  Mr.  Bigelow.  Swamp  land  reclamations.  White 
men  will  not  work  in  this  direction.  The  advantages  of  reclamations 
to  farmers  and  the  State.  Mining.  The  numbers  involved  inconsider- 
able. Wheat  culture.  The  important  work  is  done  by  white  men.  The 
aptitude  of  the  Chinese  for  higher  grades  of  labor  examined.  They 
are  hewers  of  wood,  and  drawers  of  water.  Testimony  of  Mr. 
Easterby,  Mr.  Roberts,  Mr.  Smith,  Mr.  Olmsted,  and  Mr.  Mellon. 
The  demand  for  the  Chinese  illustrated  by  the  census  enumeration  of 
laborers  in  the  different  States.  Disproportion  of  agricultural  laborers 
to  the  whole  population  of  California.  The  average  size  of  farms 
in  different  States.  California  farms  large,  and  laboring  class  small. 
Farm  productions  in  different  States.  Why  so  few  Chinese  have  come 
to  California. 

I have  stated  in  the  last  chapter  that  I do  not  expect 
a large  immigration  of  Chinese,  and  I have  shown  some- 
what briefly,  perhaps,  but  still  with  sufficient  fullness, 
that  those  who  do  have  reasoned  in  a vague  and  imper- 
fect manner.  It  has  not  been  my  purpose  to  attempt  to 
demonstrate  that  their  arguments  are  false,  as  I have 
passed  them  in  review.  The  questions  involved  are  too 
extensive  to  be  dealt  with  in  that  way.  I have  touched 
upon  them  here  and  there,  however,  in  order  to  indicate 
that  they  might  be  justly  called  in  question.  I hope 
that  in  doing  this  I have  said  nothing  which  may  be  con- 


312 


CARELESSNESS  IN  CONGRESS. 


sidered  captious  or  hypercritical.  I confess,  however,  that 
I am  profoundly  impressed  by  the  importance  of  the 
questions  under  consideration,  and  that  I cannot  repress 
a degree  of  impatience  when  I find  leading  men  of  the 
country  careless  of  the  plighted  faith  of  the  nation,  re- 
gardless of  the  traditional  policy  of  the  government, 
forgetful  of  broad  - interests,  hasty  and  inconsiderate  in 
legislation.  I am  not  speaking  unadvisedly  when  I say 
these  things.  In  the  not  distant  future,  in  our  own  land, 
and  much  sooner,  perhaps,  in  other  lands,  these  failures 
of  our  public  men,  and  of  Congress,  will  be  recognized, 
and  condemnation  will  be  visited  upon  them  accordingly. 
Foremost  among  the  men  of  the  nation  to  whom  public 
attention  has  been  called  in  this  connection,  is  the  junior 
Senator  from  Maine.  I think  that  I know  him  well  enough 
to  believe  that  when  sober  second  thought  comes  in,  he  will 
regret  his  course  ; but  whether  he  does  so  or  not,  he  has, 
by  his  own  act,  broken  down  his  great  opportunities. 
His  services  to  the  downtrodden  Negro  have  been  great^ 
but  he  has  discredited  his  own  sincerity  by  taking  up 
an  illiberal  line  toward  the  Chinese.  It  is  a failure  which 
the  great  and  generous  American  people  will  never  forget 
nor  forgive.  One  could  have  wished  that  the  voices  of 
some  departed  statesmen  could  have  been  heard  in  the 
halls  of  Congress,  that  the  phalanx  of  those  who,  in  the 
debate  on  the  fifteen  passenger  bill,  stood  firm  for  good 
faith  and  even-handed  justice,  might  have  been  led  by 
the  great  senator  from  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Sumner,  or  by 
the  chairman  of  the  Congressional  commission,  Mr.  Mor- 
ton, who  lived  long  enough  to  write  out  his  views  on  the 
questions  involved,  but  not  long  enough  to  present  them 
to  Congress  in  person.  But  the  generous  sentiments  of 
the  American  people,  their  love  of  fair  dealing  and  of 
right,  are  not  to  be  overborne  by  specious  and  empty 
arguments.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  their  first  im- 


FAILING  DEMAND  FOR  THE  CHINESE. 


313 


pressions  upon  any  involved  problem  will  always  be  right, 
yet  they  swing  around  to  the  right  and  truth  as  certainly 
as  the  point  of  the  needle  to  the  pole.  If  our  statesmen 
could  but  recognize  this  fact,  and  cease  attempting  to 
guide  their  policy  by  the  shifting  and  uncertain  phases 
of  public  opinion,  it  would  be  happier  for  them  and  for  ^ 
the  country. 

In  dealing  with  the  prospects  of  immigration,  I shall 
take  up,  first,  the  question  of  the  demand  for  Chinese 
labor. 

My  study  of  the  subject  has  led  me  to  this  conclusion, 
that  the  Chinese  who  have  already  reached  our  shores 
have  come  because  of  a demand  exceptional  in  its  nature, 
and  which  is  passing  away,  and  that  their  labor  is  not  of 
a kind  which  will  enable  them,  speakihg  generally,  to 
compete  permanently  in  the  labor  market  of  the  country. 

I shall  not  enlarge  upon  this  conclusion,  at  the  moment, 
as  illustrative  of,  or  illustrated  by  any  rules  or  principles 
which  have  been  laid  down,  or  may  be  laid  down,  as 
governing  in  such  cases.  I shall  present  the  facts  which 
have  led  me  to  it,  and  leave  my  readers,  without  much 
comment,  to  decide  whether  I have  taken  it  up  incon- 
siderately. 

In  presenting  to  them  the  material  advantages  which 
the  Chinese  have  conferred  upon  the  State  of  California, 
I spoke,  in  a series  of  chapters,  of  what  they  have  done 
in  railroad  building,  in  swamp  land  reclamations,  in  min- 
ing, in  agriculture,  in  fruit  raising,  in  special  industries 
and  in  domestic  service.  I shall  take  up  now  these  sev- 
eral industries  and  inquire  with  more  exactness  why  it 
has  been  that  they  have  been  useful  in  them,  and  why  it 
may  be  said  that  the  demand  for  their  labor  in  these 
several  departments,  or  at  least  in  most  of  them,  will  not 
be  continuous. 

As  to  railroad  building.  This  industry,  if  it  may  be 


314 


FAILING  DEMAND 


called  such,  has,  as  I believe,  passed  out  of  its  first  stage 
into  a second,  where  its  progress  will  be  much  slower 
than  in  the  past.  The  transcontinental  road  was  con- 
structed twelve  years  ago.  It  was  a great  work  which 
was  pressed  forward  to  its  completion  with  extraordinary 
haste.  The  subsidy  granted  by  Congress  had  proven  so 
large  in  proportion  to  the  cost  of  the  line  that  the  two 
companies  which  had  entered  upon  the  undertaking  were 
urging  their  works  forward,  the  one  from  the  Eastern 
side,  the  other  from  the  Pacific  end,  with  all  possible 
speed.  Their  profits  were  to  be  measured  by  the  num- 
ber of  miles  which  they  might  be  able  to  lay  down,  and 
the  unprecedented  spectacle  was  seen  of  parallel  lines  of 
grading  overlapping  one  another  and  passing  the  first 
point  of  contact.  The  Eastern  company,  known  as  the 
Union  Pacific,  had  the  advantage  in  being  able  to  draw 
upon  the  great  resources  of  the  labor  market  in  the 
whole  country  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  The  West- 
ern company,  known  as  the  Central  Pacific,  had  to  de- 
pend upon  the  limited  supply  of  the  California  market, 
and  to  pay  the  high  rates  of  wages  prevailing  there, 
which  were  certainly,  for  white  men,  twice  what  their 
rival  had  to  pay.  It  was  inevitable  under  these  circum- 
stances that  they  should  seek  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
services  of  the  Chinese,  and  it  is  not  wonderful  that  they 
found  them  useful  as  compared  with  the  native  laborers 
whom  they  were  able  to  employ.  I have  presented 
abundant  evidence  in  earlier  chapters  that  the  native 
laborer  in  California,  the  laborer  of  American  or  Eu- 
ropean origin,  has  not  cared  to  enter  upon  this  kind  of 
work.  He  has  made  his  way  to  California  to  do  some- 
thing better  than  to  use  the  pick  and  the  shovel  in  rail- 
way cuttings  and  embankments.  He  could  do  better,  if 
intelligent  and  prudent,  and  the  consequence  was  that 
only  those  of  a more  shiftless  sort  accepted  employment 


IN  RAILWA  y BUILDING. 


315 


upon  the  road,  and  that  these  were  characteristically  un- 
certain and  unreliable  in  what  they  did. 

It  is  in  proof,  however,  that  the  more  difficult  work 
was  almost  invariably  performed  by  our  own  people.  If 
there  were  teams  to  drive,  spikes  to  be  driven,  walls  to 
be  laid,  bridges  to  be  built,  it  was  always  the  white  man 
who  did  the  work.  In  simple  muscular  work  the  Chi- 
nese, under  the  given  circumstances,  proved  the  more  de- 
sirable laborers.  In  all  else  the  white  man,  at  extraor- 
dinarily high  rates  of  wages  and  under  distracting  cir- 
cumstances, maintained  his  ascendancy. 

I am  aware  that  this  statement  may  not  seem  to  be 
sustained  by  the  evidence  taken  before  the  Congressional 
committee,  but  a careful  examination  will  show  its  cor- 
rectness. There  is  proof  that  in  cuttings,  both  earth  and 
rock,  the  Chinamen  held  their  own  against  the  whites. 
That  they  will  not  do  so  under  ordinary  circumstances 
I shall  demonstrate  at  a later  moment.  But  as  to  the 
part  which  they  played  in  other  directions  the  following 
bits  of  testimony  are  in  point. 

Mr.  Crocker,  for  instance,  said  ; — '' 

“After  we  got  Chinamen  on  to  the  work  we  took  the 
“ more  intelligent  of  the  white  laborers  and  made  fore- 
“ men  of  them.  * * They  got  a start  by  controlling 

“Chinese  labor  on  our  road,  and  they  are  good  trusty 
“ men.” 

And  again  ; — 

“ I believe  that  the  white  man  is  a better  man  than  a 
“ Chinaman.  I believe  that  when  the  brain  of  the  white 
“ man  rubs  against  the  brain  of  the  colored  man,  the  white 
“ man  will  come  out  ahead  all  the  time.  When  the  white 
“ man  comes  in  contact  with  Chinese  labor  he  is  impelled 
“ to  • greater  exertion,  and  he  comes  out  a better  man.” 

’ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  668.  ® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  684. 


316 


FAILING  DEMAND 


Mr.  Strobridge  said ; — ^ 

“We  made  foremen  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the  white 
“men,  teamsters  and  hostlers.  The  white  men  who 
“worked  in  the  pits  were  generally  unsteady.  The 
“ higher  class,  the  mechanics,  were  steady  men  almost 
“ universally.  * * The  difficulty  with  white  men  is 

“ when  they  are  off  work.  After  they  have  been  paid 
“they  will  get  drunk.  * * There  was  always  com- 

“ plaint  when  they  did  not  want  to  work.  When  they 
“wanted  to  work  we  had  no  difficulty  with  them.” 

The  testimony  of  Mr.  Colton,  vice-president  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  railroad,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  to 
the  same  effect.  This  line,  at  the  moment  when  he  testi- 
fied, was  being  pressed  forward  with  all  possible  speed, 
in  order  to  meet  the  work  of  an  Eastern  company  on  the 
same  route.  There  was  no  subsidy  granted  by  Con- 
gress, saving  a land  grant,  which  however,  was  valuable, 
but  it  was  a matter  of  much  concern  to  the  Southern 
Pacific  company,  which  is  identical  as  a matter  of  fact 
with  the  Central  Pacific,  to  carry  its  second  line  far 
enough,  at  any  rate,  to  prevent  the  through  competition 
of  an  independent  line. 

Mr.  Colton’s  statements  as  already  cited,  were  that  sev- 
enty per  cent,  of  the  construction  force  were  Chinese ; that 
the  white  men  as  a rule  were  paid  twice  as  much  as  the 
Chinese ; that  no  white  man  was  ever  refused  employ- 
ment ; and  that  the  latter  were  engaged  in  a higher  grade 
of  labor.  His  words  in  regard  to  the  latter  point 
were ; — ^ 

“ I have  never  seen  a Chinaman  who  could  drive  a team 
“much.  Teamsters  and  all  that  department  are  given 
“ to  white  men.  When  we  are  building  a bridge  or  tres- 
“ tie  work,  it  is  in  the  hands  of  white  laborers,  and  all 
“ the  labor  done  about  it,  such  as  handling  timber  and 


‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  723. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  604. 


IN  RAILWA  y BUILDING. 


317 


everything  of  that  kind,  is  given  to  white  men.  All 
“ our  carpenters  are  white  men.  Chinese  will  do  some 
“ work,  as  carrying  stones  and  something  of  that  kind, 
“ but  all  our  masonry  is  done  by  white  men.  Almost  all 
“the  bridge  building,  the  timbering  for  tunnels,  the  ma- 
“sonry  and  these  various  departments  are  handled  by 
“white  men.  Where  there  is  a cut  through  a hill  or 
“ tunnel,  we  have  a gang  of  Chinamen  of  one  hundred, 
“ with  probably  two  or  three  white  men  as  overseers.” 

It  will  be  remembered,  that  Mr.  West  Evans,  a railroad 
contractor,  testified  before  the  commission,  and  that  he 
described  efforts  made  by  him  to  secure  white  laborers  on 
a short  line  which  he  had  been  constructing  just  prior  to 
the  date  when  his  evidence  was  given.  His  testimony 
entirely  confirms  that  of  Mr.  Crocker,  Mr.  Strobridge, 
and  Mr.  Colton,  that  the  Chinese  were  used  only  in  rough 
work  ; that  white  laborers  were  not  procurable  in  suffi- 
cient numbers,  and  that  they  were  unreliable.  Mr.  Evans’ 
language  is  very  much  in  point  as  to  the  unwillingness  of 
white  men  to  do  rough  work  ; — 

“ They  had  all  sorts  of  excuses,  they  said  it  was  too 
“ hard  work.  It  is  a pretty  wild  country,  and  they  com- 
“ plained  bitterly  of  camping  out.  They  seemed  to  have 
“come  here  foe  another  purpose.  They  had  farms  or 
“ something  of  that  kind  in  their  heads.” 

The  remarks  thus  made  will  indicate  with  sufficient 
precision,  that  there  had  not  been  in  California  up  to 
the  date  of  the  sitting  of  the  commission,  a sufficient 
supply  of  white  laborers  to  meet  the  demands  for  railroad 
building,  and  that  those  who  were  there,  were  not  disposed 
to  do  hard  work.  It  is  not  wonderful,  under  these  circum- 
stances, that  Chinese  were  used  for  such  work,  and  that 
they  proved  themselves  able  to  get  through  with  as  much 
of  it  as  the  whites  did.  It  happens,  however,  that  the 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  723. 


318 


CHINESE  LABOR 


trunk  lines  of  railway  in  California  are  now  nearly  com- 
pleted. The  demand  for  this  exceptional  kind  of  labor 
will  soon  no  longer  exist  in  any  large  measure,  and  when 
it  does  not  exist,  the  labor,  as  a matter  of  course,  will  not 
come. 

The  facts  stated  are  significant  as  showing,  further-' 
more,  that  the  Chinese  do  not  adapt  themselves  to  higher 
grades  of  labor  even  after  many  years  of  experience. 
The  work  on  the  Central  Pacific  was  going  forward  in 
1867-8,  that  on  the  South  Pacific  in  1875-6,  on  Mr, 
Evans’  Mendocino  line  in  1876.  In  all  this  time  the 
Chinese  had  not  become  teamsters,  or  carpenters,  or 
masons.  This  is  not  at  all  to  be  wondered  at. . They 
come  from  classes  who  are  not  used  to  such  work.  They 
do  not  speak  our  language.  Their  native  ability  may  be 
all  that  can  be  desired,  but  they  naturally  recoil  from  in- 
dustries which  are  strange  and  which  require  technical 
education. 

As  to  whether  the  strength  of  the  Chinaman  is  such 
that  he  is  really  on  a par  in  this  respect  with  the  white 
man,  but  one  answer  can  be  given.  The  average  laborer 
of  our  country  is  probably  not  less  than  five  feet,  seven 
inches  high,  and  weighs  not  less  than  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  pounds.  I am  not  speaking  frorrfdata  of  a scien- 
tific kind,  but  from  my  own  observations,  which  are,  of 
course  very  imperfect.  The  Chinaman  of  California,  will 
not,  as  I believe,  average  more  than  five  feet,  three  or  four 
inches,  and  they  will  not  weigh  more  than  from  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds.  If 
one  considers  the  difference  in  physical  power  thus  shown, 
and  beyond  this  the  difference  in  readiness  and  accuracy — 
in  the  capacity  to  make  every  stroke  of  work  tell — resulting 
from  the  difference  in  education  and  experience,  the  con- 
clusion will  be  inevitable,  that  all  other  things  being  equal, 
the  white  man  in  California  will  prove  himself  able  to 


LES^i  VALUABLE  THAN  WHLTE. 


319 


outdo  his  competitor  in  almost  all,  if  not  in  absolutely  all, 
the  fields  of  rivalry. 

There  is  abundant  evidence  in  the  report  of  the  Con- 
gressional commission  that  I am  not  singular  in  this  esti- 
mate of  the  relative  value  of  the  Chinaman  and  the  white 
man  as  a laborer.  Governor  Low,  for  instance,  said  ; — ‘ 

“ In  a great  many  kinds  of  labor,  Chinese  is  worth  more 
“than  white,  but  in  hard,  strong  labor,  which  requires 
“bone  and  sinew,  white  labor  is  better  than  Chinese.” 

Dr.  Meares  said  ; — 

“ In  a physical  point  of  view  they  are  not  aqual  to  the 
“white  man.  They  are  not  capable  of  doing  the  same 
“ amount  of  heavy  labor.  * * I think  they  are  a short- 
“ lived  race.  That  opinion  is  not  derived  from  statistics, 
“ but  is  the  result  of  my  personal  observations.  As  we 
“ see  them  here  they  are  not  a hardy,  hale  race.  They 
“ are  not  capable  of  the  same  amount  of  physical  labor.” 

Mr.  H.  H.  Bigelow  said  ; — ^ 

“ Q.  Then,  are  they  better  workers  than  white  people  ? 
“A.  No.  Three  Chinamen  are  about  equal  to  two  white 
“ men.” 

Railroad  building  on  the  Pacific  coast  is  not  at  an  end, 
of  course,  but  in  the  future,  the  lines  constructed  will  be 
mostly  short  lateral  ones  ; and  for  these,  and  for  the 
completion  of  other  trunk  lines,  there  is  now  enough 
labor,  Chinese  and  white,  in  the  country.  The  Southern 
Pacific  will  certainly  not  call  for  more  Chinese.  The 
Northern  Pacific  will  be  pushed  forward  from  the  eastern 
side.  The  Sacramento  and  Oregon  line  will  go  forward, 
probably,  by  easy  stages.  The  Chinaman  has  not  yet 
passed  the  Sierra  Nevada  in  such  numbers  as  to  compete 
seriously  in  the  labor  market  there ; and  I do  not  think 
that  the  circumstances  are  such  as  to  arouse  any  appre- 
hensions, at  the  moment,  that  they  will  do  so. 


1 Rep.  Ch. 


Im.,  p.  8o. 


® Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  gyi. 


320 


SIVAMP  LANDS. 


As  to  swamp  land  reclamations.  This  is  also  a special 
industry.  It  has  not  been  carried  so  far  forward  as  rail- 
road construction  ; in  point  of  fact,  there  remains  yet  a 
very  large  proportion  of  all  the  low  lying  lands  of  the 
State,  unguarded  by  dikes.  I do  not  believe  that  there 
are  any  right-minded  persons  who  will  object  to  the 
labors  of  the  Chinese  in  this  direction.  White  men  in 
California  will  not  care  to  work  with  their  feet  in  mud 
and  slush,  and  their  lungs  exposed  to  malarious  inhala- 
tions. They  will  recognize  the  fact  that  every  acre 
reclaimed  adds  to  their  own  opportunities  for  enterprise. 
Some  of  this  work,  however,  perhaps  a large  part,  will 
be  done  higher  up  on  the  courses  of  the  rivers,  where  the 
land  is  wet  only  during  the  rainy  season,  and  is  left  dry 
after  the  subsidence  of  the  floods  of  that  period  of  the 
year.  Such  lands  are  owned  largely  by  the  farmers  of 
the  region,  who  use  them  for  pasturage,  and  who  are 
gradually  pushing  forward  embankments  adequate  to 
their  partial  protection  from  the  water.  The  work  of 
reclamation  in  these  higher  districts,  may  be  performed 
in  large  part  by  the  use  of  the  plow  and  scraper,  and  it 
is  probable  that  but  little  Chinese  labor  Avill  be  needed. 
The  number  of  Chinese  scattered  through  the  agricultural 
districts  is  not  great,  and  if  they  are  brought  in  to  do 
such  work,  it  will  be  because  the  farm-hands  ordinarily 
employed  are  insufficient  to  undertake  extraordinary 
labor,  and  because  it  will  be  greatly  to  the  advantage  of 
the  farmers  and  the  State  to  have  the  work  completed. 
It  must  be  completed  promptly,  too,  when  undertaken, 
for  the  reason  that  a half  completed  dike  is  washed  over 
by  the  floods,  and  its  material  carried  away  in  greater  or 
less  part. 

As  to  mining.  It  was  this  industry  which  first  attracted 
the  Chinese  to  California,  and  which  led  to  the  large  im- 
migration of  early  years.  They  named  the  country  then 


MINING. 


321 


“the  gold  hills,”  and  they  have  retained  thd  title  ever 
since.  Australia  is  “the  new  gold  hills.”  Washing  for 
gold  was  a work  for  which  they  were  particularly  well 
qualified.  They  are  accustomed  in  their  natural  homes 
to  working  in  the  rice  fields  with  their  feet  in  the  water 
and  their  heads  exposed  to  an  almost  tropical  sun.  The 
universal  culture  of  rice  may  have  qualified  them,  in  the 
course  of  generations,  to  sustain  such  exposure  with  less 
danger  than  a white  man  could. 

Placer  mining  by  hand  is  already  very  much  a thing 
of  the  past.  I find  that  the  census  of  1870  contains  the 
following  table  of  the  productions  of  the  precious  met- 
als in  California,  cinnabar  and  silver  quartz  included  ; — ^ 
' Census  1870.  Ind.  and  Wealth,  p.  760.  • 


Cinnabar 

Hands  employed. 

811  • 

Products. 

817,700 

Gold.  Hydraulic 

1,396 

1,622,993 

“ Placer 

3)157 

2,646,174 

“ Quartz 

2,193 

3,096,666 

Gold  and  silver  quartz. . . . 

15 

15.000 

Silver  quartz 

17 

83,100 

Totals 7)589  8,281,633 

I understand  from  this  table  that  the  total  number  of 
men  concerned  in  mining  in  California  is  only  a quarter 
of  the  number  of  the  Chinese  who  were  engaged  in  the 
mines  in  i860,  as  estimated  by  the  joint  committee  of 
the  California  Legislature,  to  which  I have  heretofore 
referred. 

I have  no  means  of  determining  how  many  of  the  total 
number  of  hands  employed  in  1870  were  Chinese.  Per- 
haps at  a rough  estimate  we  might  say  that  three- 
quarters  of  all  those  engaged  in  placer  mining  and  one- 
quarter  of  those  in  hydraulic  and  deep  mining  were 
Chinese.  This  estimate  is  mere  guess  work  upon  my 

u 


322 


FAILING  DEMAND  IN  MINES. 


part.  Taking  it  for  what  it  may  be  worth,  we  have  the 


following  result ; — 

^ of  hands  engaged  in  placer  mining 2,367 

3^  of  all  others 1,108 

Total 3,475 


There  are  of  course  many  other  Chinese  connected  in 
one  way  and  another  with  the  Chinese  mining  class 
proper,  but  making  every  allowance  for  these,  the  result 
is  not  such  as  to  justify  a conclusion  that  the  State  of 
California  is  likely  to  be  overrun  by  them. 

As  to  agriculture.  There  is  no  direction  in  which  the 
Chinese  have  been  employed  in  California  in  which  the 
results  go  further  to  show  that,  while  they  have  been  very 
useful,  and  have  contributed  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
State,  their  labor  is  not  generally  sought  for,  and  that 
it  has  come  in  only  to  supply  an  exceptional  and  pecu- 
liar demand. 

The  method  of  cultivating  wheat  pursued  in  that  State 
has  been  described  and  illustrates  the  point  perfectly. 
The  ground  is  broken  up  by  gang  plows.  The  wheat  is 
sowed  by  a machine  contrived  for  the  purpose.  It  is  cut 
by  another  cornplicated  machine  called  a header,  which 
takes  off  the  ears  and  deposits  them  in  wagons  which 
form,  in  fact,  a component  part  of  the  machine.  The 
grain  is  threshed  by  machinery.  All  this  work  requires 
skilled  hands,  men  who  are  used  to  handling  horses,  and 
who  have  mechanical  aptitude  enough  to  know  when 
the  machinery  is  in  working  order  and  performing  its 
functions  properly.  Such  work,  as  we  might  expect,  and 
as  the  evidence  shows,  is  in  the  hands  of  white  men,  the 
Chinese  not  having  developed  aptitude  for  it.  But  the 
latter  have  been  found  exceedingly  useful  in  supplement- 
ing white  labor  at  the  harvest  season,  when  it  is  desira- 
ble to  push  along  as  rapidly  as  possible  and  the  hands 
regularly  employed  are  not  sufficiently  numerous. 


FAILING  DEMAND  IN  FARMING. 


323 


There  are  causes  in  operation  which  will  gradually,  as 
I believe,  affect  the  demand  for  the  Chinese  in  the  direc- 
tion shown.  But  as  some  may  say  that  they  will  develop 
all  possible  aptitudes,  and  will  invade  the  departments 
of  labor  which  the  white  man  now  fills,  I shall  devote 
some  remarks  to  this  question  of  aptitude.  It  is  of  fun- 
damental importance  and  the  examination  of  the  evi- 
dence will  show  that  the  experience  of  farmers  is  not 
different  from  that  of  railroad  builders,  that  they  are 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  rather  than  men 
available  for  the  ever  varying  demands  of  the  employers 
of  labor. 

Mr.  Easterby,  for  instance,  testified  ; — 

“All  the  farmers  that  I have  ever  spoken  with  are  in 
“favor  of  having  Chinese  for  servants,  decidedly.  In 
“ some  cases  they  use  them  as  laborers  on  the  farm,  for 
“ doing  light  work,  and  where  horses  are  not  used.  The 
“ Chinese  do  not  seem  to  understand  the  use  of  horses 
“ as  whites  do.” 

Mr.  Roberts  testified  ; — •* 

“ Q.  Do  you  employ  Chinese  in  preference  to  white 
“ men  A.  I do  not  give  them  the  preference.  I gen- 
“ erally  give  white  men  the  preference.  * * After  the 
“ land  is  reclaimed,  then,  of  course,  we  employ  white  men 
“ generally.  We  employ  white  men  where  there  is  any 
“ machinery  required,  any  work  requiring  a higher  class 
“ of  intelligence  ; for  instance,  in  running  plows,  thresh- 
“ ing  machines,  headers — in  any  work  requiring  a higher 
“ class  of  intelligence  we  generally  employ  white  men. 

“ Q.  Would  they  do  more  work  than  a Chinaman  at 
“ the  same  thing A.  In  some  particulars  they  will ; 

and  they  are  more  trustworthy,  handling  horses  and 
“ machinery.  We  can  explain  things  to  them  and  they 
“are  better  than  Chinamen.” 

*Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  745.  *Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  438. 


324 


FAILING  DEMAND  IN  FARMING. 


Mr.  Sneath  testified  ; — ‘ 

“ I am  employing  a considerable  number  of  persons 
“ farming,  pretty  extensively,  and  employ  nearly  all 
“white  men,  for  the  reason  that  Chinese  do  not  under- 
“ stand  farming.  It  is  impossible  to  understand  them 
“properly  on  account  of  not  being  familiar  with  their 
“ language.  They  can  only  be  worked  in  gangs,  when 
“ they  have  their  own  head  men,  but  still  after  awhile,  as 
“ they  take  up  with  our  language  and  pick  up  mechan- 
“ ical  ideas,  some  of  them  become  very  useful.” 

Mr.  W.  N.  Olmsted,  a merchant  of  San  Francisco,  who 
has  lived  many  years  in  China,  and  had  many  opportu- 
nities to  judge  of  the  qualities  of  the  Chinese  there  as 
well  as  in  California,  testified  ; — 

“ Q.  Do  you  consider  cheap  labor  and  low  priced  la- 
“ bor  synonymous  ? A.  I do  not  know.  Labor  may 
“ be  cheap,  and  yet  it  may  not  be  low-priced  ; it  may  be 
“ low-priced  and  yet  it  may  be  very  dear. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  that  the  Chinaman  will  ever  be 
“ able  to  command  the  same  wages  that  an  American 
“will  ? A.  No,  sir,  I do  not  think  so. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  that  he  is  the  equal  of  the  Amer- 
“ ican  ? A.  I do  not  think  so. 

“ Q.  Do  Chinamen  acquire  our  language  readily  ? 
“A.  It  takes  them  some  time,  still,  a great  many  of 
“ them  do  pick  it  up  readily. 

“ Q.  Until  they  acquire  a pretty  good  knowledge  of 
“ our  language,  are  they  able  to  compete  to  any  great 
“ degree  with  Americans,  and  to  what  degree  ? A.  That 
“ would  be  done  under  the  management  of  foremen. 

“ Q.  It  can  only  be  done  in  gangs  with  foremen  ? 
“A.  Just  the  same  as  a foreign  vessel  trading  in  China, 
“ will  employ  Chinese  crews  with  an  interpreter. 

* Rep.  Ch,  Im„  p.  544.  . * Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  438. 


CHINESE  NOT  EQUAL  TO  AMERICANS. 


325 


“ Q.  They  could  not  engage  as  individuals  to  work 
“separately?  A.  No,  sir.” 

Mr.  John  Mellon,  a farmer,  testified  ; — ‘ 

“Q.  You  can  obtain  white  boys  and  girls  cheaper 
“than  Chinese?  A.  Yes,  sir.  I had  a boy  from  the 
“city  on  my  place.  He  was  twelve  or  fourteen  years 
“old,  somewhere  along  there.  I paid  that  boy  twelve 
“ dollars  a month,  during  the  summer,  and  I would  not 
“ give  that  boy  for  any  Chinaman  I ever  saw.  I will  tell, 
“ you  why.  That  boy  would  go  into  the  stable,  put  the 
“ harness  on  my  team,  hitch  them  up  to  the  wagon  and 
“ take  them  to  the  field.  I would  send  a man  over  and 
“ he  would  pitch  the  grain  up  to  him.  The  boy  would 
“ act  as  a man,  he  would  drive  the  team  home,  and  get 
“on  the  stack,  and  the  man  would  go  with  the  load  and 
‘^itch  it  off,  as  he  was  the  strongest.  The  boy  on  the 
“ stack  would  pack  away  the  grain  equal  to  a man. 

“Q.  In  other  words,  the  boy  could  do  many  things 
“ the  Chinese  could  not  do,  and  you  could  utilize  him  in 
“ other  things  as  well  as  picking  berries  and  fruit  ? A. 
“ I have  not  any  berries  and  fruit,  but  I have  seen  any 
“ quantity  of  the  work  done.  I am  speaking  of  what 
“ has  been  done  on  my  own  place.  The  boy,  of  course, 
“ if  I told  him  to  go  to  any  part  of  my  ranch  and  fix 
“ the  fence,  he  could  take  his  hatchet  and  nails  and  fix  it, 
“or  if  I would  tell  him  to  go  and  look  after  such  and 
“ such  stock,  he  would  go  and  look  after  it. 

“ Q.  Could  you  do  that  with  a Chinaman  ? A.  No, 
“ sir. 

“ Q.  Even  if  he  understood  you  thoroughly  ? A. 
“You  cannot  make  him  understand  you  thoroughly.  If 
“ you  send  him  to  drive  home  some  of  the  stock  from 
“ the  field  he  would  drive  them  all  home,  and  you  could 


* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  3cx>. 


326 


FAILING  DEMAND  IN  FARMING. 


“ take  out  such  as  you  wanted,  but  if  you  sent  the  boy  , 
“he  would  do  just  as  you  would  tell  him. 

“Q.  You  have  employed  both  classes  of  labor.?  A. 
“Yes,  sir  ; all  countries.  I can  take  one  white  man  and 
“ he  will  bind  more  grain  than  any  two  Chinamen  I have 
“ ever  seen.  I have  had  Chinamen  binding,  Germans, 

“ English,  Americans,  and  Irish.  It  is  the  same  way  with 
“ digging  and  sacking  potatoes.  * * Of  course  we 

“are  obliged,  sometimes,  to  employ  Chinese,  but  we  do 
“ not  consider  them  any  companions.  When  you  have 
“got  a good  white  man,  you  can  take  him  into  your  din- 
“ing-room  or  kitchen,  and  sit  down  and  talk  to  him.  If 
“ you  want  to  go  off  to  the  eity,  or  on  business,  you  can 
“ tell  him  so  and  so,  to  see  that  this  and  that  is  done, 

“ and  he  will  attend  to  your  business  ; but  a Chinaman 
“ says  ; ‘ I no  sabe.’  * * I one  year  paid  $40  a month 

“ to  a white  man,  and  had  him  two  months,  to  cut  at 
“ about  the  rate  of  two  acres  of  grain  a day  for  me.  That 
“ man  was  cheaper  to  me  than  four  Chinamen.  He  cut 
“it  with  a cradle  out  of  the  sides  of  the  hills.  You  can- 
“ not  run  the  reaper  every  place,  and  then  you  have  got 
“ to  cradle  it  or  mow  it.” 

We  have  seen  that  the  farmers  of  California,  as  well  as 
other  employers  of  labor,  have  found  white  laborers  un- 
certain and  unreliable,  as  compared  with  those  of  other 
districts.  But  even  under  such  circumstances  we  have 
found  that  they  employ  the  whites  for  all  the  more  diffi- 
cult parts  of  their  work,  that  in  point  of  fact,  the  Chinese 
are  generally  employed  only  during  exceptional  rushes  of 
work.  This  fact  implies  very  strongly  the  correctness  of 
my  proposition  that  the  Chinese  do  not  show  adaptability 
to  the  miscellaneous  demands  of  the  farmer.  This 
proposition  is  fully  sustained  by  the  direct  evidence 
which  I have  quoted,  but  its  correct  bearing  will  be  ap- 
preciated more  perfectly  when  I point  out  with  precision 


SHORT  SUPPLY  OF  LABORERS. 


327 


the  difficulties  which  Californian  farmers  have  had  to 
meet  resulting  from  the  short  supply  of  laborers. 

The  shortness  of  the  supply  may  be  indicated  in  three 
ways  ; first,  by  the  statements  of  farmers  ; second,  by  the 
census  enumeration  of  population  and  production  ; third^ 
by  the  rates  of  wages  paid. 

In  the  chapter  which  I have  devoted  to  the  Chinese  in  , 
agriculture,  and  elsewhere,  I have  presented  with  sufficient 
fullness  the  declarations  of  the  farmers  on  this  head. 

The  following  tables  exhibit  the  conditions  shown  by 


the  census.  First,  the  proportionate  number  of  persons 
engaged  in  agriculture  ; — 

All  Agriculture,  Agricultural 

States. 

occupations. 

total. 

laborers. 

Alabama .• 

365,258 

291,628 

208,811 

California 

238,648 

47,863 

16,231 

Connecticut 

193,421 

43,653 

18,934 

Georgia 

444,678 

336,145 

264,605 

Illinois 

742,015 

376,441 

133,649 

Iowa 

344,276 

210,263 

69,82  I 

Louisiana 

. 253,452 

141,467 

97,783 

Maryland 

258,543 

80,449 

48,079 

Minnesota 

132,657 

75,157 

20,277 

New  York 

1491,018 

374,323 

134,562 

Oregon 

30,651 

13,248 

3,126 

Pennsylvania, 

1,020,544 

200,05 1 

68,897 

Texas 

237,126 

166,753 

81,123 

California  then  has  about  one  person  in  five  of  her  in- 
dustrial population  engaged  in  agriculture,  and  one  in 
fifteen  as  agricultural  laborers. 

In  Alabama,  about  four-fifths  are  on  farms  and  some- 
thing less  than  three-fifths  are  laborers. 

In  Connecticut,  about  one-fifth  are  on  farms,  and 
about  one-tenth  laborers. 

In  Georgia,  three-fourths  are  on  farms,  and  more  than 
one-half  are  laborers. 


328 


SHORT  SUPPLY  OF  LABORERS. 


In  Illinois  about  one-half  are  on  farms  and  about  one- 
fifth  are  laborers. 

In  Iowa  something  less  than  two-thirds  are  on  farms 
and  about  one-fifth  are  laborers. 

In  Louisiana  something  less  than  three-fifths  are  on 
I farms  and  about  two-fifths  are  laborers. 

In  Maryland  something  less  than  one-third  are  on 
farms  and  one-fifth  laborers. 

In  Minnesota  more  than  half  are  on  farms  and  less 
than  one-sixth  are  laborers. 

In  Oregon  something  less  than  one-half  are  on  farms 
and  one  in  ten  are  laborers. 

In  Pennsylvania  one-fifth  are  on  farms  and  one-fifteenth 
are  laborers. 

In  Texas  two-thirds  are  on  farms  and  one-third 
laborers. 

In  New  York  about  one  in  four  are  on  farms  and  one 
in  eleven  are  laborers. 

California  has  fewer  farmers  and  farm  laborers,  then, 
in  proportion  to  her  industrial  population,  than  any 
other  State,  Pennsylvania  exeepted.  The  Southern  purely 
agricultural  States  have  the  largest  proportion  of  farmers 
and  farm  laborers,  the  laborers  ranging  from  two-fifths 
to  three-fifths  of  the  whole.  The  Western  agricultural 
states  have  the  next  largest  proportion,  the  laborers 
averaging  about  one-fifth  of  all,  the  Eastern  manufac- 
turing and  mining  States  giving  a proportion  of  one  in 
fifteen  in  Pennsylvania,  one  in  eleven  in  New  York,  and 
one  in  ten  in  Connecticut. 

The  proportion  between  farmers,  (including  in  this 
designation  all  concerned  in  agriculture,  laborers  as  well 
as  proprietors,)  and  farm  laborers  is  as  follows  ; — 

In  Alabama  two-thirds  are  laborers,  in  California  one- 
third,  in  Georgia  more  than  two-thirds,  in  Illinois  more 
than  one-third,  in  Iowa  about  one-third,  in  Louisiana 


SIZE  OF  FARMS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


329 


about  two  in  five,  in  Maryland  more  than  one-half,  in 
Minnesota  something  less  than  one  in  three,  in  New 
York  about  one  in  three,  in  Oregon  one  in  four,  in  Penn- 
sylvania one  in  three,  in  Texas  one  in  two. 

The  average  size  of  farms  in  the  same  States  in  1870, 


was ; Acres. 

Alabama 222 

California 482 

Connecticut 93 

Georgia 338 

Illinois 128 

Iowa 134 

Louisiana 247 

Maryland 167 

Minnesota 139 

New  York 103 

Oregon 315 

Pennsylvania 103 

Texas 301 


While  thus  California  has  fewer  farmers  and  farm 
laborers  than  any  other  State,  Pennsylvania  excepted, 
her  farms  are  larger  than  those  of  any  other  State  ; from 
fifty  to  one  hundred  per  cent,  larger  than  those  of  the 
Southern  States,  nearly  four  times  as  large  as  those  of 
the  Western  States,  and  nearly  five  times  as  large  as 
those  of  the  Eastern  States. 

Taking  the  same  States  the  outturn  of  all  farm  pro- 
ductions, as  compared  with  the  number  of  persons  en- 
gaged in  agriculture,  was  as  follows  ; — 


States.  Persons  engaged.  Produce. 

Alabama 291,628  $ 67,522,335 

California 47,863  49,856,024 

Connecticut 43,653  26,482,150 

Georgia 336,145  80,390,228 

Illinois 376441  210,860,585 


330 


FJ/iAf  PRODUCTIONS. 


States.  Persons  engaged.  Produce. 

Iowa 210,263  $114,386,441 

Louisiana 141,467  52,006,622 

Maryland 80,449  35.343,92/ 

Minnesota 75.157  33.446,400 

New  York 374.323  253,526,153 

O regon 1 3 ,248  7,1 2 2,790 

Pennsylvania 200,05 1 1 83,946,027 

Texas 166,753  49,185,170 


The  produce  for  each  person  engaged  in  each  State,  is 


about  as  follows  ; — • 

In  California $1,050 

“ Pennsylvania 920 

“ New  York. 680 

“ Connecticut 600 

“ Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Oregon 550 

“ Minnesota  and  Maryland 445 

“ Louisiana 360 

“ Texas 300 

“ Alabama  and  Georgia 240 


The  production  per  capita  in  California  is,  therefore, 
more  than  twice  as  great  as  the  average  of  the  States 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  census  estimate  of  wages  paid  in  some  of  these 
is  as  follows  ; — 


State.  Persons  engaged.  Wages. 

California 47,863  $10,369,247 

Ne^v  York 374,323  34.45b362 

Illinois 376,441  22,338,767 

Georgia 336,145  19,787,086  ' 

The  rate  for  each  individual  engaged  would  be  then  ; — 

In  California,  about $21^ 

“ New  York,  “ 92 

“ Illinois,  “ 60 

“ Georgia,  “ 59 


EARNINGS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


331 


The  average  of  California  is  more  than  three  times 
that  of  Illinois  and  Georgia,  and  more  than  twice  that 
New  York. 

The  monthly  wages  paid  to  agricultural  laborers,  as 
stated  in  Dr.  Young’s  book  on  Labor  in  Europe  and 
America,  published  by  the  treasury  department  of  the 
United  States,  in  1875,  were  as  follows  ; — 

Summer.  Winter. 

In  California,’  with  board, $40  to  50,  $25  to  30 

“ New  York,  “ “ $24.92,  $10.50 

“ Illinois  “ “ I945>  i4-30 

“ Georgia,  “ “ 10.00,  10.00 

The  supply  of  laborers,  then,  has  been  very  short  in 
California,  and  all  the  consequent  inconveniences  must 
have  been  felt,  not  only  high  wages,  but  an  arrogant  dis- 
position on  the  part  of  laborers,  insufficient  service,  &c. 

All  this  means  simply  that  the  farmers  of  California 
have  had  every  possible  reason  to  employ  the  Chinese, 
and  that  if  they  have  not  done  so  in  large  numbers,  it  is 
because  they  have  not  found  them  suitable  in  all  respects 
to  their  requirements. 

‘ I understand  that  these  are  the  rates  paid  to  white  laborers. 


PART  IV.— CHAPTER  III. 


FEARS  OF  AN  OVERFLOWING  IMMIGRATION  OF  THE 
CHINESE.  FURTHER  REMARKS  IN  REGARD  TO 
THE  FAILING  DEMAND  FOR  THEIR  LABOR. 

The  demand  in  fruit  raising.  As  the  population  increases  and  the  younger 
generation  comes  forward,  the  Chinese  in  less  demand.  Fruit  raising 
will  become  less  special.  The  demand  likely  to  fall  off  in  manufac- 
turing enterprises.  Testimony  of  Governor  Low,  Mr.  Heynemann, 
Mr.  McLennan,  and  Mr.  Gallego.  Industries  in  which  the  Chinese 
do  not  take  part.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Scott.  The  manufacture  of 
shoes  and  cigars.  Tendency  to  employ  whites  instead  of  Chinese  and 
the  reasons.  Testimony  of  Mr.  Buchanan  and  Mr.  Muther.  The 
Chinese  as  domestic  servants.  Testimony  of  Mrs.  Swift.  The  de- 
mand for  Chinese  labor  not  continuous  throughout  the  year.  Testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Bryant.  The  ebb  and  flow  of  migration. 

I have  spoken  in  the  last  chapter  of  the  prospects  of  a 
continued  demand  for  the  labor  of  Chinamen  in  railroad 
building,  swamp  land  reclamations,  mining  and  agri- 
culture. It  remains  to  speak  of  the  prospects  of  such 
demand  for  Chinese  in  fruit  raising,  in  manufactures, 
in  special  industries  and  in  domestic  service,  and  to 
show  how  the  general  demand  for  them  is  being  affected 
and  will  be  affected  by  the  growth  of  population  in 
California. 

Fruit  raising  would  appear  at  first  sight  to  be  an  in- 
dustry in  which  the  services  of  a small  and  light-fingered 
people  like  the  Chinese  would  be  in  special  demand,  and 
this  is  the  case  certainly  at  the  season  of  gathering  fruit. 

But  while  this  is  true  of  the  fruit  gathering  season, 
there  is  no  reason  why  the  Chinese,  under  normal  condi- 
tions of  labor  in  California,  should  be  employed  in  orch- 
ards and  vineyards  excepting  at  that  season.  In  the 


FAILING  DEMAND  FOR  CHINESE. 


333 


preparation  of  the  ground  for  planting,  in  planting  and 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  the  experience  of  farmers 
generally  shows  that  the  white  man  would  be  preferable 
because  of  his  greater  skill  in  handling  horses,  and  his 
superior  adaptability  as  a laborer.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  the  grafting  of  improved  scions  on  native  stocks, 
and  of  pruning.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  for  this  kind  of 
•-work  white  men  are  even  now  generally  employed,  and 
that,  if  Chinese  are  employed,  they  must  be  carefully 
looked  after  by  the  proprietor  or  his  overseers,  at  the  cost 
of  more  or  less  time  and  money. 

As  years  pass,  again,  there  will  be  a supply  of  boys 
and  girls  to  do  more  or  less  of  the  gathering  of  fruit, 
supplementing  the  labors  of  men,  and  enabling  the  grower 
to  dispense  with  the  necessity  of  going  away  from  his 
own  place,  or  out  of  his  neighborhood,  to  engage  extra 
assistance.  Heretofore  the  number  of  boys  and  girls,  of 
women  and  persons  generally,  not  Chinese,  who  could 
be  called  upon  to  aid  at  the  fruit  picking  season  has  been 
extremely  limited.  This  condition  of  things  is  changing 
rapidly,  and  the  result  will  affect  materially  the  interest 
in  question. 

It  may  be,  again,  that  fruit  growing  will  become  here- 
after, in  California,  a less  special  industry  than  it  appears 
to  be  at  the  moment.  As  farms  are  broken  up,  and 
varied  husbandry  takes  the  place  of  wheat  growing,  each 
farmer  is  likely  to  devote  some  portion  of  his  land  to 
fruit.  This  happens  elsewhere  in  our  country,  and  in 
other  countries,  and  the  consequence  is,  that  the  labor 
which  in  general  farming  is  needed  in  one  direction  at 
one  moment,  and  somewhere  else  at  another,  becomes 
available  for  the  busy  season  of  fruit  growing,  and  the 
occasion  to  seek  for  outside  labor  falls  away.  This  may 
hold  in  the  production  of  wine,  as,  if  I am  not  mis- 
informed, the  grower  of  the  grape  is  not  always,  or  even 


334 


FRUIT  CULTURE. 


generally,  the  wine  maker.  The  growers  confine  their 
interest  often,  as  I believe,  to  the  production  of  the  fruit, 
and  sell  it,  when  gathered,  to  the  larger  proprietors,  or 
to  persons  whose  sole  avocation  is  the  treatment  of 
the  fruit  in  wine  making.  The  same  subdivision  occurs 
in  the  labor  of  drying  or  preserving  other  fruits.  The 
work  is  not  devolved  upon  the  grower,  but  upon  a 
specialist,  whose  establishment  is  located  in  or  near  a 
town,  where  he  is  able  to  procure  assistance  in  the  busy 
season,  and  whose  control  of  approved  appliances  is  such 
as  to  enable  him  to  work  advantageously. 

In  manufacturing  industries  of  the  larger  sort,  the 
tendency  of  whites  to  displace  the  Chinese,  by  whose 
assistance  the  given  industries  were  established,  is  very 
marked.  I cannot  do  better  than  let  the  managers  of 
these  enterprises  speak  for  themselves  upon  this  point, 
prefacing  their  statements  by  a significant  declaration 
made  to  the  commission  by  Governor  Low,  as  follows  ; — 

“ My  view  in  regard  to  Chinese  labor  in  the  manufac- 
“ tories  here,  is  a good  deal  as  it  is  in  regard  to  manu- 
“ factories  generally  in  the  United  States — that  a tariff  is 
“ essentially  necessary  in  a new  country  to  build  up  manu- 
“ factories,  to  give  them  protection  while  they  are  young. 
“ After  a manufactory  gets  firmly  established,  after  they 
“ get  skilled  labor,  and  get  apprentices  who  have  learned 
“ the  trade,  perhaps  the  tariff  may  then  be  lessened,  or 
“taken  off  altogether,  because  it  can  then  successfully 
“compete  with  manufactures  from  abroad.  So  with 
“ manufactories  here.  But  for  the  Chinese  I doubt  whether 
“ we  would  have  had  any  manufacturing,  or  it  would  have 
“ been  small,  as  compared  with  the  present.  The  very 
“ fact  of  the  Chinese  being  here,  and  that  their  labor  was 
“procurable  at  a moderate  rate,  has  induced  the  opening 
“ of  manufactories  ; and,  perhaps,  now,  or  shortly,  as  they 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  90. 


MANUFA  CTURING. 


335 


" can  get  apprentices  at  work,  Chinese  labor  can  be  dis- 
“pensed  with. 

“ Q.  Do  you  think  that  that  result  would  work  out  of 
“itself,  naturally?  A.  I think  it  is  gradually  coming 
“ about.” 

This  language  is  fully  sustained  by  that  of  Mr.  Heyne- 
mann,  president  of  the  Pioneer  and  Mission  woolen 
factory,  and  agent  of  the  Pacific  jute  factory.  The  former 
is  said  to  be  the  largest  incorporation  for  manufacturing 
purposes  in  California  ; — ‘ 

Q.  Are  all  the  operatives  in  your  factory,  (the  woolen 
“ mills),  Chinese  ? A.  No,  sir  ; I have  been  listening  to 
“ testimony  here,  of  late,  to  the  effect  that  a good  many 
“white  laborers  have  been  displaced  by  Chinese.  Just 
“ the  contrary  has  been  taking  place  in  our  factory.  For 
“ instance,  white  girls  have  taken  the  place  of  Chinese. 
“As  a matter  of  course,  any  superintendent  will  give  the 
“preference  to  people  whom  he  can  understand,  rather 
“ than  to  people  with  whom  he  has  difficulty  to  speak. 
“ That  is  an  immense  advantage  in  favor  of  the  white 
“ labor. 

“ Q.  Why  do  you  employ  Chinese  in  your  factory  ? 
“ A.  Originally  we  could  not  get  any  other  at  all.  At 
“ that  time  it  would  have  been  an  absolute  impossibility 
“ to  run  the  factory  upon  white  labor,  simply  because  we 
“ could  not  get  white  operatives. 

“ Q.  Would  the  factory  have  been  established  with 
“ white  labor  ? A.  No,  sir;  as  a matter  of  fact,  even 
“ with  the  Chinese  labor,  competition  has  been  so  active 
“ that  we  have  had  no  dividends  whatever. 

“ Q.  Why  do  you  continue  to  use  Chinese  labor  ? A. 
“We  do  not  continue  upon  Chinese  labor,  or  upon  any 
“ labor  ; we  continue  simply  upon  human  labor,  I do  not 
“ make  any  distinction  whether  it  is  white  or  Chinese. 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  533. 


333 


RELA  TIVE  MERITS  OF  CHINESE 


‘"'Q.  You  say  that  you  employ  a certain  number  of 
“Chinese.  Have  you  the  option  of  employing  an  equal 
“ number  of  boys  and  girls  at  the  same  rates.^  A.  That  is  a 
“ very  hard  question  to  answer.  I f you  have  a certain  num- 
“ ber  of  employes  who  know  exactly  what  to  do,  you  are 
“not  going  to  discharge  them  and  take  another  number 
“ without  knowing  whether  they  can  do  the  same  thing  ; 
“but  as  labor  is  offering  in  this  same  particular  factory 
“every  day  the  number  of  white  girls  is  increasing,  and 
“ the  proportionate  number  of  Chinese  is  decreasing.  Of 
“ course  that  will  take  some  time  yet.  I might  say,  in 
“the  course  of  time,  as  labor  becomes  more  plentiful 
“here,  I have  no  doubt  the  Chinese  will  be  displaced 
“ altogether,  except  where  they  amalgamate  so  that  they 
“ would  lose  the  distinctive  name  of  Chinese. 

“ Q.  How  do  the  Chinese  compare,  as  operatives,  with 
“ American  boys  and  girls  ? A.  I do  not  know  that 
“ they  are  any  better.  I think  American  boys  and  girls 
“would  be  fully  as  good.  The  Chinese  have  very  great 
“ power  of  imitation,  but  very  little  power  of  invention. 
“ I think  an  American,  or  what  would  be  called  a white 
“ laborer  here,  especially  those  who  descend  immediately 
“ from  native  born  Americans,  have  got  an  ingenuity  that 
“ is  not  to  be  found  in  any  other  class  of  laborers.  They 
“ will  try  to  perfect  their  work  ; they  will  study  out  some- 
“ thing.  That  quality  is  not  to  be  found  in  a Chinaman. 
“ I do  not  think,  for  generations,  the  Chinaman  will  be 
“ the  peer  of  the  American  laborer.” 

The  evidence  of  this  witness  has  no  uncertain  sound. 
He  is  familiar  with  his  business,  and  he  states  plainly 
that  the  tendency  in  the  woolen  factory  is  to  employ 
white  girls  instead  of  Chinese,  and  he  describes  that  as 
the  result  not  of  mere  sentiment  in  fayor  of  v/hite  labor. 
Chinese  and  Americans  are  all  on  a par  in  his  estimation, 
so  far  as  the  work  he  has  to  do  is  concerned.  To  speak 


AND  AMERICAN  OPERATIVES. 


337 


plainly,  the  white  labor  machine  is  tending,  in  an  un- 
mistakable way,  to  prove  its  superior  capacity  to  the 
Chinese  labor  machine. 

While  this  point  is  under  consideration  and  Mr.  Hey- 
neymann’s  evidence  is  before  us,  I may  as  well  cite  what 
he  says  further  as  to  the  merits  of  Chinese  and  American 
operatives  and  artisans  at  large  ; — 

“ Q.  Is  it  possible  for  the  Chinese  until  they  become 
“Americanized  to  compete  with  the  English-speaking 
“artisan,  or  the  German.  A.  When  that  time  comes 
“ they  will  be  English-speaking  themselves,  but  I do  not 
“believe  that  up  to  this  time  any  Chinaman  is  the  peer 
“ of  the  American  operative. 

“ O.  I ask  about  artisans,  carpenters,  masons,  and  that 
“ kind  of  skilled  workmen  ? A.  That  is  the  kind  I am 
“ speaking  of. 

“ Q.  Can  a Chinaman  until  he  becomes  Americanized 
“ compete  with  any  of  them  ? A.  No,  sir.  It  is  a per- 
“fect  impossibility.  It  is  not  in  the  nature  of  things. 

“ O.  Are  those  trades  and  occupations  intruded  upon 
“ to  any  extent  by  Chinamen  ? A.  If  a Chinaman 
“builds  a house,  who  does  he  employ.^  He  does  not 
“ employ  Chinese.  That  is  the  best  answer  to  that  ques- 
“ tion.” 

“ Q.  Does  the  Chinaman  build  houses  ? A.  Cer- 
“ tainly.  At  the  corner  of  Dupont  street,  near  Califor- 
‘ Ilia,  there  are  three  such  houses  which  have  been 
“ finished  within  a month.” 

The  tendency  of  the  whites  to  supplant  Chinese,  so 
emphatically  declared  by  Mr.  Heynemann  in  regard  to 
the  woolen  factory,  was  not  exhibited  in  the  jute  factory, 
but  on  the  contrary  the  Chinese  had  displaced  there  the 
Scotch  girls  who  had  been  brought  from  Scotland  with 
the  machinery  to  operate  it.  The  reason  for  this  was 
plain.  The  work  in  jute  is  described  by  Mr,  Heynemann 


333 


TENDENCY  TO  DISPLACE 


as  so  heavy  that  “ very  few  women  can  stand  to  run  those 
“looms.”  Having  then  to  take  on  more  robust  help  the 
company  employed  Chinese,  just  as  the  woolen  factory 
had  started  with  Chinese.  It  is  safe  to  say,  however,  that 
the  same  causes  which  are  leading  to  the  employment  of 
native  girls  in  the  woolen  mills  will  lead  to  the  employ- 
ment of  native  boys,  or  men,  in  the  jute  factory. 

Donald  McLennan,  the  superintendent  of  the  Mission 
woolen  mills,  confirmed  Mr.  Heynemann’s  evidence,  as 
will  be  seen  from  the  following  citation  of  his  testi- 
mony;— ‘ 

“ O.  How  many  white  men  and  women  do  you  em- 
“ploy  in  your  factory } A.  Three  or  four  hundred. 

“ Q.  Do  3mu  find  them  steady  and  industrious  as  a 
“ rule  A.  Yes,  sir. 

“ O.  You  are  gradually  substituting  them,  for  the  Chi- 
“ nese  1 A.  I am  gradually  substituting  them. 

“ O.  Do  you  find  yourself  able  to  compete  after  car- 
“ lying  on  that  substitution  } A.  I do. 

“ Q.  You  think  the  time  may  come  when  you  may  be 
“ able  to  make  practically  an  entire  substitution  ? A. 
“ It  may  come,  but  it  will  be  a good  many  years. 

“ O.  How  rapidly  has  this  substitution  been  going  on  ? 
“A.  It  has  been  going  on  for  six  or  seven  years,  prob- 
“ ably. 

“ Q.  You  started  with  all  Chinamen,  and  during  that 
“ time  you  have  employed  how  many  whites  ? A.  At 
“least  half. 

“ Q-  Why  not  gain  the  other  half  in  another  six  years  ? 
“A.  It  is  impossible  to  tell  what  another  decade  may  do.” 

It  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  McLennan  hesitates  to  say 
that  the  tendency  is  so  marked  as  Mr.  Heynemann  ap- 
pears to  believe.  It  is  possible  sometimes  for  a by- 
stander to  estimate  the  forces  which  are  at  work  with 

‘ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  609. 


CHINESE  OPERATIVES. 


339 


more  precision  than  the  observer  who  is  upon  the  spot. 
The  supply  of  persons  of  our  own  stock  who  may  become 
operatives  is  rapidly  increasing,  Wages  are  tending 
downward.  The  necessities  which  have  drawn  white 
people  to  the  mills  in  the  past,  will  press  more  and  more 
closely  as  the  conditions  of  industry  in  California  ap- 
proximate more  and  more  closely  to  conditions  else- 
where. If  then  there  has  already  appeared  a marked 
tendency  for  our  own  people  to  supplant  the  Chinese,  the 
causes  which  have  produced  it  are  not  growing  less,  but 
stronger. 

In  the  chapter  which  I devoted  to  the  question  whether 
the  Chinese  in  California  are  displacing  white  laborers, 
I gave  a list  of  industries  aggregating  more  than  sixty 
in  number,  in  which  no  Chinese  are  used.  It  will  be 
interesting  to  inquire  here  what  employers  in  some  of 
these  departments  of  labor  say  of  their  reasons  for  tak- 
ing on  our  own  people  and  not  Chinamen. 

Mr.  Gallego,  superintendent  of  Messrs.  E.  Detrick  and 
Company’s  bag  tactpry,  testified  as  follows  ; — ' 

“ O.  Do  you  work  Avhite  or  Chinese  labor  in  your 
“ factory  ? A.  We  work  all  white  labor,  consisting  of 
“men,  boys  and  girls.  * * I find  we  can  manufacture 

“just  as  cheap  with  v/hite  labor  as  we  can  with  Chinese 
“ labor,  if  not  cheaper.  I have  never  yet  seen  the  time 
“when  I have  not  been  able  to  get  all  the  hands  I 
“wanted,  and  in  fact,  more.  We  employ,  in  the  busy 
“ season,  for  over  seven  months,  two  hundred  hands  ; at 
“present  we  employ  seventy.  We  have  to  turn  away  in 
“ the  busy  season,  which  consists  of  about  seven  months 
“ in  the  year,  twenty  girls  on  an  average,  every  day,  and 
“ nearly  as  many  boys.” 

Mr.  Scotty  of  the  firm  of  Prescott,  Scott  and  Company, 
testified  ; — ^ 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1063. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  1014. 


340 


NO  CHINESE 


“ We  have  been  employing,  for  sixteen  years,  a large 
“ number  of  men  in  the  manufacture  of  iron  goods.  We 
“carry  on  all  branches.  We  employ  520  men  and  boys. 

“ They  are  divided  into  six  classes  ; blacksmiths,  boiler- 
“ makers,  molders,  machinists,  draughtsmen  and  pattern- 
“ makers,  all  organized,  working  a complete  institution. 

“ With  the  boys  from  the  public  schools  we  have  had  a 
“very  gratifying  experience.  We  have  never  less  than 
“sixty  learning  their  trades.  We  think  with  those  boys 
“we  can  meet  the  question  of  cheap  labor  in  any  shape, 
“form,  or  way  that  they  may  choose  to  make  it.  When 
“ a boy  comes  there  he  comes  for  four  years— from  sev- 
“ enteen  to  twenty-one.  We  pay  four  dollars  a week  for 
“ the  first  year,  six  dollars  for  the  second,  eight  for  the 
“ third,  and  ten  for  the  fourth.  After  that  whatever  tlie 
“man  is  worth.  Our  experience  is  that  the  boys  of 
“ seventeen  from  our  public  schools  reach  the  same  posi- 
“ tion  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  as  the  boys  we  have  oc- 
“ casionally  taken  in,  on  account  of  the  necessities  of 
“ their  parents,  at  twelve,  thirteen  and  fourteen  years  ; 

“ that  the  schooling  prior  to  seventeen  is  of  more  advant- 
“ age  to  them  than  the  trade.  We  have  never  found  any 
“ difficulty  in  adjusting  the  prices  of  labor  to  meet  the 
“ conditions  under  Avhich  we  have  had  to  manufacture, 
“ and  competition  from  any  section  of  the  country, 
“ although  we  labor  under  three  distinct  disadvantages. 
“ We  do  not  produce  a pound  of  pig  iron  in  the  State  ; 
“we  do  not  mine  a pound  of  coal  except  for  fuel  pur- 
“ poses  ; we  do  not  produce  a pound  of  hard  wood  in  tins 
“ State,  it  is  all  imported.” 

These  two  witnesses,  Mr.  Gallego  and  Mr.  Scott,  were 
called  by  the  counsel  opposed  to  the  Chinese.  No  evi- 
dence which  was  given  before  the  commission  goes  fur- 
'ther  to  show  how  groundless  are  the  fears  that  the  Chi- 
nese are  likely  to  win  a victory  over  our  people  upon  our 


IN  CERTAIN  INDUSTRIES. 


341 


own  soil,  and  doubtless  if  other  witnesses,  familiar  with 
the  other  sixty  industries  of  San  Francisco  in  which  our 
people  are  engaged,  had  been  called,  each  would  ha\'e 
given  similar  testimony.  Employers  are  not  often  con- 
trolled by  sentiment,  and  not  very  many  out  of  all  those 
engaged  in  these  sixty  industries  would  have  failed  to 
use  Chinamen  if  it  would  have  advanced  their  interests 
to  do  so. 

The  special  industries  of  the  Chinese  in  California, 
those  which  deserve  attention  because  they  are  largely 
occupied  by  the  Chinese,  more  or  less  for  their  own  ac- 
count, are  shoe-making,  cigar-making,  and  laundry-work. 

It  is  to  be  said  at  once,  that  if  the  Chinese  have  taken 
a prominent  part  in  these  industries,  and  not  in  others, 
it  must  be  because  of  aptitudes  in  those  directions,  and 
of  favoring  circumstances. 

It  will  be  manifest  to  my  readers  from  what  has  been 
already  said,  that  whatever  work  is  light,  and  requires 
the  imitative  rather  than  the  inventive  faculty,  is  suited 
to  the  Chinese.  Whatever  work  again  may  be  done  by 
the  piece,  by  individual  workers,  requiring  no  great  out- 
lay for  the  machinery  or  for  materials  in  advance  of 
manufacture,  is  more  likely  to  receive  their  attention. 
Cigar-  and  shoe-making  and  the  washing  of  wearing  ap- 
parel answer  all  these  conditions  more  or  less  perfectly, 
and  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  the  circumstances 
which  have  enabled  the  Chinese  to  take  a strong  place 
in  these  industries  will  continue  to  operate  in  their  favor, 
and  that  if  the  tendency  is  to  displace  them  from  indus- 
tries generally,  it  will  be  felt  later  in  these  than  in  other 
directions. 

There  are  reasons,  however,  which  tell  against  the  Chi- 
nese, even  in  these  special  industries.  In  washing,  for 
instance,  people  who  are  in  good  circumstances,  hesitate 
to  send  their  clothing  to  Chinese  laundries,  and  their  lies- 


342 


CHINESE  LAUNDRIES. 


itation  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  They  have  no  assur- 
ance that  the  Chinese  laundryman  will  deal  with  them 
either  carefully  or  cleanlily.  He  may  do  his  work  at 
very  low  rates,  but  if  he  is  not  careful  in  handling-  gar- 
ments he  will  destroy  the  fabric  so  rapidly  that  the  loss 
thus  occasioned  far  more  than  exceeds  the  economy  in 
price.  The  careful  and  fastidious  person,  and  nearly  all 
people  in  fair  circumstances,  are  careful  and  fastidious 
about  these  matters,  will  not  consent  to  have  their  un- 
derwear clothing  torn  to  pieces.  Still,  less  vdll  they  like 
to  think  of  it  as  being  worn  by  the  washerman  or  mixed 
up  with  articles  from  no  one  knows  what  quarter.  To 
be  entirely  plain,  this  is  just  what  must  be  expected 
from  Chinese  laundrymen  the  world  over.  The  Chinese 
of  the  class  in  question  have  known  no  better  system  at 
home  than  that  of  alternately  dipping  the  garment  in  a 
brook  or  pond  hole,  and  slapping  it  on  a stone  or  plank 
placed  conveniently  above  the  water.  I have  seen  del- 
icate foreign  garments  being  treated  in  this  way  in  China, 
the  washman  wearing  at  the  same  time  other  articles  be- 
longing evidently  to  his  em_ployer.  The  laundrymen  of 
California  have  learned  their  trade  of  their  own  people, 
some  of  the  Hong  Kong  washermen  having  gone  to 
California  in  early  days,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  there 
is  one  of  them  employed  in  the  public  Avash  shops  who 
does  his  work  carefully  and  properly. 

Beyond  this  it  may  be  said  that  the  tendency  is  to  use 
steam  appliances  in  laundries,  and  to  cheapen  the  work 
in  this  way  Avhile  doing  it  thoroughly  and  carefully. 
Such  laundries,  wherever  established,  are  likely  in  the 
long  run  to  do  away  with  the  Chinese  system,  which  is 
all  hand  work. 

My  readers  will  pardon  my  entering  upon  such  details. 
They  are  unsavory,  perhaps,  yet  they  go  far  to  throw 
light  on  the  place  occupied  by  the  Chinese  in  California 
and  their  future  there. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  CIGARS. 


343 


The  evidence  cited  by  me  in  the  chapter  in  which  I 
dealt  with  the  allegation  that  the  Chinese  have  displaced 
white  laborers  in  California,  showed  conclusively  that  the 
industry  of  shoe-making  in  that  State  was  built  up  by 
the  aid  of  the  Chinese,  and  that  the  tendency  of  late  has 
been  to  employ  white  men  instead.  The  testimony  of 
Mr.  Buchanan,  of  the  factory  of  Messrs.  Einstein  and 
Company,  in  this  connection,  was  direct  and  positive, 
showing  that  the  establishment  named  was  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  city,  and  that  they  had  already  effected 
the  change  from  Chinese  to  white  journeymen  without 
detriment  to  their  business.  It  contained  also  a state- 
ment that  a white  man’s  co-operative  shoe-making  estab- 
lishment had  been  started  in  San  Francisco  and  had 
made  large  profits. 

The  evidence  in  regard  to  the  cigar  trade  and  cigar- 
making already  cited  by  me,  indicates  that  a considera- 
ble proportion  of  those  used  in  California  are  made  in 
the  Eastern  States,  and  as  a consequence  that  the  Chi- 
nese in  California  have  not  been  able  to  underbid  East- 
ern manufacturers  entirely.  The  evidence  shows  further 
that  the  Chinaman  is  not  as  rapid  a worker  as  the  white. 
Frank  Muther  testified  on  this  head  that  a white  man 
working  by  the  piece  ia  San  Francisco  would  earn  about 
eleven  dollars  a week,  while  a Chinaman  would  earn  only 
six  dollars,  “ because  they  are  slower  workmen.”  The 
same  witness  said  that  “ boys  and  girls  can  make  cigars, 
“ (for  it  is  easy  work,)  just  as  well  as  the  oldest  man,  in 
“ fact  much  better.”  If  this  is  the  case,  and  I find  no 
occasion  to  doubt  the  statement,  there  would  seem  to  be 
no  reason  why,  as  the  supply  of  boys  and  girls  increases, 
or  becomes  more  manageable,  the  latter  should  not  dis- 
place the  Chinese. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  pursue  this  branch  of  our  inquiry 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  313. 


344 


DOMESTIC  SERVANTS. 


further.  All  the  testimony  has  gone  to  show  that  the 
American  operative,  artisan  or  laborer  is  a more  vigor- 
ous man  physically  than  the  Chinese,  and  that  his  apti- 
tude is  greater  than  that  of  the  Chinaman.  The  natural 
and  acquired  qualifications  of  white  men  are  undoubt- 
edly greater  than  those  of  their  competitors,  and  when 
the  moment  of  keen  competition  arrives  this  fact  will  tell 
upon  the  re.sult  in  a marked  way. 

Of  the  Chinese  as  domestic  servants  I spoke  fully  in 
the  chapter  which  I devoted  to  that  subject.  While 
according  to  them  a high  degree  of  commendation,  I did 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  I do  not  believe  an  Asiatic  serv- 
ant is  likely  to  be  as  good  as  one  of  European  or  Amer- 
ican origin,  for  the  reason  that  their  education  is  not  such 
as  to  enable  them  to  appreciate  perfectly  the  wants, 
wishes,  or  peculiarities  of  their  employers.  I added  to 
this,  that  I should  be  sorry  to  think  that  the  moral  edu- 
cation of  Europeans  and  Americans  of  this  class  is  no 
better  than  that  of  the  Chinese.  I might  have  said,  fur- 
ther, that  there  is  one  overruling  objection  to  the  Chinese 
as  domestic  servants.  Such  duty  belongs  naturally  to 
the  female  sex,  and  there  is  a great  deal  of  it  which  must 
devolve  upon  members  of  the  family  where  a Chinese, 
or  Chinese  only,  are  employed,  which  would  be  left  to 
female  servants,  if  such  were  employed.  There  was  sound 
sense  in  what  one  of  the  witnesses,  Mrs.  Swift,  stated  to 
the  commission  on  this  head  ; — '' 

“ The  Chinese,  when  they  work,  work  at  one  industry. 
“They  are  not  like  our  girls.  If  a Chinaman  goes  into 
“ a family  to  cook,  he  says  ; — ‘ Me  do  no  chamber  work  ; 

“ ‘ me  do  cooking.’  If  a woman  goes  into  a house  she  has 
“ to  do  sewing,  house  work,  take  care  of  the  little  boys 
“ and  girls,  and  do  the  washing  and  ironing.  Chinamen 
“ do  one  branch.  They  do  the  cleaning,  or  else  they  do 
“ the  housework.” 

* Rep  Ch.  Im.,  p.  249. 


DOMESTIC  SERVANTS. 


345 


I am  sure  that  the  women  of  the  Eastern  States,  much 
as  they  have  occasion  to  complain  of  their  servants,  and 
much  as  they  may  have  wished  for  the  patient,  uncom- 
plaining Chinaman,  will  wonder,  if  they  reflect  about  it, 
how  their  sisters  of  California  have  been  able  to  reconcile 
themselves  to  men  as  servants.  My  impression  is  that  but 
few  families  employ  them  in  California,  except  when  they 
are  driven  to  it,  as  in  the  country,  or  where  they  need 
only  a single  servant  to  supplement  the  labors  of  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  or  where  they  employ  several  servants, 
the  Chinaman  in  the  latter  cases,  taking  some  one  de- 
partment, as  cooking  or  cleaning,  while  the  general  mis- 
cellaneous work  of  the  household  falls  upon  the  female 
domestics  employed. 

Beyond  the  considerations  thus  far  noted,  it  remains  to 
be  pointed  out  here,  that  in  many  of  the  leading  in- 
dustries in  which  the  Chinese  find  employment,  the  de- 
mand for  their  services  is  not  continuous. 

Take,  for  instance,  railroad  building.  Ten  thousand 
men  may  be  at  work  for  one,  or  tw'o,  or  more,  years,  and 
the  completion  of  the  given  line  may  leave  them  \vithout 
employment.  Take  swamp  land  reclamations.  In  one 
year,  or  a series  of  years,  this  kind  of  enterprise  may  be 
pushed  forward  with  great  energy.  In  other  years  noth- 
ing at  all  may  be  done.  It  is  work  moreover  w^hich 
can  be  prosecuted  only  in  the  summer  season,  when  a 
demand  for  labor  exists  also  in  the  grain  fields.  Take 
farming  and  fruit  picking.  The  Chinese  are  in  demand 
for  this  kind  of  work  only  in  the  harvesting  and  picking 
seasons.  It  follows,  necessarily,  that  there  must  be  many 
of  the  Chinese  idle  for  greater  or  less  periods  throughout 
the  year.  How  far  this  en'orced  leisure  extends  may  be 
estimated  from  the  following  statement  of  Mayor  Bryant, 
of  San  Francisco,  before  the  Congressional  commis- 
sion ; — ‘ 

* Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  i8o. 


346 


THE  DEMAND  FOR  LABOR 


“ O.  What  is  your  estimate  of  the  number  of  Chinese 
“resident  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  and  does  it  vary 
“ from  month  to  month  during  the  year  ? A.  I thought 
“ during  the  fall  and  winter  months,  last  year,  there  were 
“ from  60,000  to  70,000,  and  by  going  through  the  quarters 
“ it  seemed  to  me  that  there  are  not  now  more  than  half 
“ of  what  there  was  then. 

O.  So  that  the  number  varies  from  30,000  to  60,- 
“000.^  A.  I should  say  so. 

“0.  According  to  the  season?  A.  Yes;  and  busi- 
“ ness  in  the  country.  If  railroads  are  building  some  go 
“ to  the  country,  and  when  railroads  are  not  building 
“ they  come  back  to  the  city.” 

This  evidence  was  given  on  the  24th  of  October.  At 
that  date  the  rains  have  already  begun  as  a rule,  and  the 
gathering  of  grain,  and  of  fruit  may  be  presumed  to  have 
ended. 

Mr.  Wheeler,  to  whose  estimate  of  the  Chinese  popu- 
lation of  California  I have  had  occasion  to  refer  with 
commendation,  gave  the  following  evidence  in  regard  to 
the  ebb  and  flow  of  immigration.  Its  pertinency  to  the 
point  under  consideration  will  be  evident ; — ^ 

“ I observed  in  getting  these  facts,  that  during  six  or 
“seven  months  in  the  year,  that  is  from  February  to 
“ October,  there  has  been  an  increase  of  the  arrivals  over 
“the  departures;  and  from  October  to  February  there 
“has  been  an  increase  of  departures  over  arrivals.  There 
“ is  a flood-tide  in  and  out,  to  and  from  California  of 
“ Chinese  in  those  two  periods  of  the  year,  and  that  has 
“ always  been  the  case.  In  noticing  that  fact  from  the 
“ figures  I made  inquiry  of  Mr.  Otis,  now  dead,  who  was 
“then  mayor  of  San  Francisco,  as  well  as  from-  other 
“gentlemen  in  the  Chinese  trade,  as  to  the  cause.  They 
“ informed  me  that  the  Chinese  come  to  California  at  the 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  515. 


VARIES  WITH  THE  SEASON. 


347 


“ season  of  the  year  when  the  greatest  demand  for  labor 
“ exists,  the  harvest  season,  in  the  expectation  of  getting 
“ work  gathering  in  the  harvest,  that  being  the  period  when 
“ there  is  more  demand  for  labor  than  at  any  other  period 
“ of  the  year ; and  that  those  who  are  about  to  return  to 
“ China,  always  choose  the  period  of  the  year  when  they 
“ can  reach  home  and  enjoy  the  Chinese  New  Year  which 
“comes  in  February,  (sometimes  in  January,)  and  that  in- 
“ duced  by  the  desire  to  enjoy  the  New  Year,  they  leave 
“ in  our  fall  season  when  the  weather  is  propitious,  and 
“ the  chief  work  of  the  season  is  over.” 


PART  IV.— CHAPTER  IV. 


FEARS  OF  AN  OVERFLOWING  IMMIGRATION.  THE  SUP- 
PLY OF  OTHER  LABOR. 

The  supply  of  labor  in  California  tending  to  increase.  The  increase  of 
population.  Comparison  of  the  increase  in  different  States.  The 
Northwest  has  outstripped  California.  The  relative  numbers  of  the 
Chinese  in  the  State  at  different  periods.  The  proportion  of  Chinese 
diminishing.  The  tendency  of  Eastern  immigration.  The  tide  a ris- 
ing one.  The  per  centage  of  births  in  California.  Conditions  of  life 
in  California  attractive.  Rates  of  wages  for  farm  laborers  in  different 
parts  of  the  country.  The  ordinary  laboror  paid  twice  as  much  as  the 
Eastern  laborer.  Comparison  with  European  rates.  Rates  in  differ- 
ent countries  of  Europe.  Cost  of  living  in  Europe,  in  the  Eastern 
States,  and  in  California.  A large  immigration  from  Europe  may  be 
expected.  Farm  laborers  in  Europe.  Employment  of  Chinese  in 
Australia. 

I have  now  shown,  as  I believe,  that  the  Chinese  in 
California  are  not  equal  to  other  laborers,  artisans,  &c., 
because  of  their  lack  of  acquaintance  with  our  language, 
of  physical  strength,  of  technical  education,  and  of  gen- 
eral adaptability  to  our  wants  and  methods.  I have 
shown  also  that  the  tendency  is  to  rely  upon  their  assist- 
ance less  than  was  done  formerly.  It  remains  to  present 
facts  and  considerations  attending  the  increase  of  our 
own  population  which  will  confirm,  the  conclusion  that 
the  demand  for  the  Chinese  is  of  continually  failing 
importance. 

The  total  population*  of  California  as  given  by  the 
United  States  census,  was  ; — ^ 


In  1850 
“ i860 
“ 1870 


* U.  S.  Census.  Pop.,  p.  3. 


THE  SUPPLY  OF  LA  BOP. 


349 


Mr.  Brooks,’  one  of  the  counsel  who  appeared  before 
the  Congressional  commission  estimated  the  population 
in  1 876,  at 900,000 

Accepting  the  latter  estimate  as  more  or  less  nearly 
correct,  it  appears  that  the  population  of  the  State  in- 
creased about  four  fold  in  the  first  period,  about  one  and 
one-half  times  in  the  second  period,  and  about  one  and 
three-fifths  in  the  third  period.  The  first  two  periods 
embraced  each  ten  years,  the  third  only  six  years.  The 
increase  from  1876  to  1880  cannot  have  been  large,  for 
the  reason  that  a general  depression  in  business  has  ex- 
isted in  the  State  for  several  years  past,  which  has 
greatly  affected  the  influx  of  immigrants  from  Europe 
and  the  movements  of  our  own  people.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  hope,  however,  that  the  population  of  Califor- 
nia in  1880  will  be  found  to  be  about  one  million." 

The  movement  of  population  thus  shown  is  very  large, 
but  it  is  far  less  than  that  exhibited  in  the  young  States 
of  the  Northwest. 

Take  for  instance  Iowa.  In  1850  the  population  of 


that  State  was 192,214 

In  i860 674,913 

“ 1870 1,194,020 

Take  again  Minnesota  ; — 

In  1850 6,077 

“ i860 172,023 

“ 1870 439,706 

Take  Wisconsin  ; — 

In  1850 305.391 

i860 775,881 

“ 1870 1,054,670 

* Br.  Br.,  p.  130.  informed,  giving  a total  population 


^ This  estimate  proves  to  be  too  of  about  827,cx30  only, 
high,  the  census  of  18S0,  as  I am 


350 


POPULATION  OF  THE  NORTHWEST. 


Or  Kansas  ; — 

In  1850 

“ i860 107,206 

“1870 364-399 

The  explanation,  of  course,  is  not  difficult  to  find. 
The  States  of  the  Northwest,  possessed  of  a rich  soil,  and 
a climate  not  altogether  inhospitable,  although  cold,  have 
been  more  easily  accessible  to  European  immigrants 
and  to  our  own  people,  and  this  one  fact  has  more  than 
counterbalanced  the  advantages  which  California  has 
possessed  in  a more  genial  climate,  in  a greater  variety 
of  soil  and  productions  and  in  her  immense  stores  of  the 
precious  metals. 

The  tendency  of  the  moment,  to  a superior  increase  of 
population  in  the  Northwest  cannot  long  continue.  The 
means  of  access  to  California  have  been  improved  by  the 
completion  of  the  trans-continental  railway.  Two,  if  not 
more,  other  trans-continental  lines  will  be  in  operation 
within  a few  years.  The  lands  of  the  Northwest  are 
gradually  being  taken  up,  and  emigrants  are  each  year 
pressing  further  and  still  further  toward  the  setting  sun. 
The  beginning  of  the  result  is  shown  in  the  greater  in- 
crement m California  for  the  six  years  from  1870  to  1876, 
than  in  the  previous  ten  years,  or  the  earlier  decade,  dur- 
ing which  the  search  for  gold  called  so  many  people  of 
all  lands  to  that  district. 

A great  deal  has  been  said  by  anti-Chinese  partisans 
of  the  more  ready  access  to  California  enjoyed  by  the 
Chmese.  This  existed  prior  to  the  completion  of  the 
Pacific  railway  in  a more  marked  degree  than  it  has 
since,  but  the  results  of  the  census  do  not  show  that  they 
availed  themselves  of  it  more  than  our  people  availed 
themselves  of  their  less  satisfactory  opportunities. 

The  relative  numbers  of  our  own  stock  and  of  the 


RELATIVE  INCREASE  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


351 


Chinese  in  the  State  of  California  at  different  periods,  is 
shown  in  the  following  table  ; — ' 


1850.  i860.  1870.  1880. 

Whites 91,635  323,177  499,424  900,000 

Colored 962  21,884  11,513  ii,5i3 

Chinese 34,933  49,3^0  7 5, ^00 


92,597  379,994  560,247  986,513 

The  figures  for  1880  are  of  course  estimates.  Assum- 
ing that  they  are  correct,  we  find  that  the  proportionate 
number  of  Chinese  to  the  total  population  was  ; — 

In  i860,  about  one  in  eleven. 

In  1870,  about  one  in  eleven  and  a half.  • 

In  1880,  about  one  in  thirteen. 

We  find  also,  that  during  the  period  up  to  1870,  the  total 


immigration  and  increase  of  the  whites  was ....  499,424 

And  of  Chinese 49,310 

So  that  the  immigration  of  whites  exceeded  

that  of  the  Chinese  by 450,114 

And  assuming  again,  the  correctness  of  my  estimates, 
that  up  to  1880,  the  total  increase  of  whites, 

has  been,  say 900,000 

against  a total  increase  of  Chinese  of 75, 000 


the  excess  of  the  white  increment  is 825,000 

The  proposition  of  anti-Chinese  partisans,  as  we  have 
seen,  is  that  the  Pacific  coast  is  to  become,  to  use  their 
own  expression,  “Mongolianized.”  How  very  little  basis 
there  is  for  this  opinion  is  shown  by  these  figures.  The 
Chinese  are  not  holding  their  proportion  in  the  general 

* At  the  moment  of  going  to  press,  in  California  is  as  much  in  excess  of 
I have  not  received  the  complete  re-  the  fact,  proportionately,  as  my  es- 
sults  of  the  last  census.  1 am  in-  timate  of  the  total  population  has 
dined  to  believe,  however,  that  my  proven  to  be. 
estimate  of  the  number  of  Chinese 


352  THE  DECLINE  IN  CHINESE  IMMIGRATION. 

population.  At  the  present  moment,  so  nearly  as  we 
may  judge,  there  is  no  increment  whatever  on  their  part, 
while  the  increment  of  the  whites  is  going  forward  with 
steadiness  and  certainty.  Two  years  ago  the  friends 
of  fair  dealing,  and  good  faith,  pleaded  vainly  in  the 
two  Houses  of  Congress  for  time  to  discuss  the  ques- 
tion whether  a revisal  of  our  treaties  with  China  intended 
to  secure  the  restriction  of  immigration,  is  necessary,  and 
they  were  infused.  A law  was  enacted  by  Congress^ 
directly  in  contravention  of  our  treaties  with  that  em- 
pire— knowingly  and  deliberately  enacted  in  the  face 
of  all  remonstrances — on  the  plea  that  the  necessity  of 
the  case  was  such,  that  no  delay  whatever  could  be 
permitted.  The  law  failed,  because  of  the  good  sense 
of  the  President,  but  the  humiliating  lesson  which  it  has 
taught  cannot  be  forgotten.  The  Congress  of  the  United 
States  was  not  in  this  instance,  at  least,  wise  in  its  com- 
prehension of  the  situation,  nor  true  to  the  plighted  faith 
of  the  nation.  It  cannot  afford  to  make  many  such 
mistakes  if  it  deserves  to  be  well  thought  of  among  the 
nations,  or  to  present  a fair  record  in  history. 

It  is  very  desirable  to  bear  in  mind  carefully  the  fact 
that  the  recent  more  rapid  growth  of  California  is  not 
abnormal,  but  the  result  of  causes  which  are  working  in 
an  entirely  natural  way.  The  fact  that  population  is, 
year  by  year,  pushing  westward,  is  an  unmistakable  one. 
It  has  not  stopped  in  the  districts  skirting  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  but  it  has  mounted 
the  elevated  regions  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  250ured  ' 
in  upon  the  great  plateau  between  them  and  the  Sierra 
Nevada.  It  is  not  necessary  to  recite  the  facts  in  this 
connection,  as  they  are  known  in  a general  way  through- 
out the  country.  Dakota,  Wyoming,  Utah,  New  Mex- 
ico, Arizona  and  Idaho,  are  all  filling  up  with  population. 
Even  Washington  territory,  beyond  the  Sierras,  is  receiv- 


WESTWARD  COURSE  OF  EMPIRE. 


353 


ing  a considerable  population.  If  Congress  shall  be  as 
liberal  in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  another  decade  will 
see  the  galaxy  of  stars  in  the  national  banner  increased 
by  a half  dozen  or  more  ; and  there  will  soon  be  no  dis- 
trict or  part  of  the  Union  without  its  o,wn  government, 
independent  of  the  national  executive  administration.  It 
is  the  gradual  rise,  surging  forward,  and  overflow  of  a 
tide.  It  is  the  same  phenomenon  which  has  been  wit- 
nessed from  the  earliest  period  of  our  colonial  history. 
It  is  not  to  be  checked  by  a handful  of  people  of  a less 
vigorous  stock  coming  from  beyond  the  Pacific. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  increment  of  the  popu- 
lation of  California  is  derived  from  abroad,  of  course, 
from  the  older  States  and  from  Europe,  but  some  portion 
of  it  is  due  to  natural  increase.  And  here  a curious  fact 
is  to  be  noticed,  which  has  occasioned  me  a degree  of 
surprise,  and  which  tells  much  in  favor  of  the  State. 

Every  one  of  my  readers  will  know,  of  course,  that  in 
the  earlier  and  later  movements  of  population  to  Cali- 
fornia, the  tendency  has  been  for  men  to  go  rather  than 
for  women.  The  following  table  will  exhibit  the  result 
with  precision  ; — 


Year. 

Males. 

Females. 

1850 

• • 85,580 

. 7,017 

1 860 

273,337 

106,257 

1870 

••  349.479 

210,768 

How  great  the  divergence  is 

from  the  normal  propor- 

tionate  numbers  of  the  sexes  will  be  more  or 

less  per- 

fectly  shown  by  the  following 
Delaware 

table  for  the 

State  of 

Year. 

Males. 

Females. 

1850 

••  45,955 

45,557 

i860 

55,527 

1870 

62,387 

w 

354 


NATURAL  INCREASE  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


The  divergence  from  the  standard  of  the  Northwest  by 
the  following,  for  Iowa  ; — 


Year.  Males.  Females. 

1850 101,052  91,162 

i860 354-493  320,420 

1870 625,917  568,103 


I suppose  there  is  no  one  who  would  not  expect,  under 
these  circumstances,  to  find  the  birth  rate  of  California 
lower  than  in  these  other  States.  The  fact  is,  however, 
that  the  birth  rate  in  California,  for  i860  and  1870,  was 
42  for  each  1,000  of  the  total  population,  while  in  Dela- 
ware and  Iowa,  respectively,  it  was,  in  i860,  34  and  28, 
and  in  1870,  37  and  30.  The  average  birth  rate  through- 
out the  country,  in  1870,  was  about  35  in  1,000. 

Not  less  singular  and  significant  is  the  fact  that  in  the 
year  1870  the  persons  of  both  sexes  in  California  over 
five  years  of  age  and  under  eighteen  was  336  in  each 
1,000  of  the  population,  while  the  average  throughout 
the  nation  was  311  in  each  1,000. 

California  would  appear  then  to  be  a region  where 
greater  ease  in  living,  joined  perhaps  with  the  superior 
vigor  of  her  population  and  favorable  climatic  consider- 
ations, have  occasioned  a very  much  larger  increase  by 
births  than  elsewhere  in  the  nation.  I say  a very  much 
larger  increase  by  births,  because  these  should  be  esti- 
mated not  in  proportion  to  the  whole  population  but  in 
proportion  to  the  female  part  of  it,  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  is  much  below  the  usual  proportion  in  our  country. 
The  circumstances  which  have  occasioned  this  condition 
of  things  are  calculated  in  a marked  degree  to  promote 
an  influx  of  population. 

The  conditions  w'hich  will  attract  working  people  more 
particularly  to  California  are  the  high  rates  of  wages  pre- 
vailing there  and  the  low  cost  of  living,  comparatively. 
The  following  statements  are  taken  from  Mr.  Young’s 


RELATIVE  RATES  OF  WAGES. 


355 


work  on  “Labor  in  Europe  and  America.”  Not  to  en- 
cumber my  pages  too  greatly,  I shall  make  the  compari- 
son of  farm  wages  with  which  I shall  deal  first,  refer  only 
to  the  year  1874  and  to  the  average  of  the  Western 
States  on  the  one  side  and  California  on  the  other. 

FARM  WORK. 


Experienced  hands.  ’ In  California.  In  West’n  States. 

DAILY  WAGES. 


Summer, 

with  board 

$ 1-50 

$ 1. 15 

without  “ 

2.50 

1.58 

Winter, 

with  “ 

1. 00 

93 

(( 

without  “ 

2.50 

1-35 

MONTHLY 

WAGES. 

Summer, 

with  board 

25.00 

22.12 

Avithout  “ 

.... 

.... 

Winter, 

with  “ 

25.00 

17.86 

(i 

without  “ 

Ordinary  hands 

DAILY  WAGES. 

Summer, 

with  board.. 

I.OO 

88 

without  “ 

2.00 

Winter, 

with  “ 

75 

65 

U 

without  “ 

2.00 

96 

MONTHLY 

WAGES. 

Summer, 

with  board 

17-53 

(( 

without  “ 

.... 

Winter, 

with  “ 

13-37 

a 

without  “ 

. . . • 

COMMON  LABORERS  AT  OTHER  THAN  FARM  WORK. 

DAILY  WAGES. 

With  board 1.50  1.07 

Without  board 2.50  1.44 

MONTHLY  WAGES. 

With  board 20.02 

Without  board .... 


336  RELATIVE  RATES  OF  WAGES 

The  rates  stated  above  are  taken  from  the  general 
tables  given  by  Dr.  Young  at  pages  739— 744.  At  pages 
783-784  he  gives  a special  table  for  California  for 
1874,  prepared  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Martin,  “general  agent  of 
“the  California  Immigrant  Union.”  According  to  the 
latter  farm  laborers  in  1874  received  in  winter,  with 
board,  from  $25  to  $30  a month,  and  in  summer,  with 
board,  from  $40  to  $50  a month,  The.se  rates  appear  to 
be  about  the  same  as  those  given  in  the  testimony  of  the 
witnesses  who  appeared  before  the  Congressional  com- 
mittee. Mr.  Bryant,  for  instance,  testified  as  follows  ; — ‘ 

“ Q.  How  do  wages  compare  with  former  years  } A. 
■“  Wages  are  about  the  same.  Men  here,  ( in  San  Fran- 
“ cisco,)  get  $2  and  $2.50  a day. 

“ O.  Does  not  that  indicate  about  the  same  relation 
“ between  supply  and  demand  ^ A.  Our  labor  is  kept 
“ up.  Laborers  keep  up  the  price  at  about  that ; farm 
“ hands  at  about  $30  to  $40  a month.  That  has  been 
“ the  rule  of  prices  for  the  last  two  or  three  years.” 

I understand  that  the  quotation  for  laborers  in  the 
city  is  without  board,  and  for  farm  laborers  with  board. 

Mr.  Brier,  it  will  be  remembered,  testified  that  he  paid 
in  California,  in  1876,  $i  a month  more  than  he  paid  in 
1857,  and  that  for  permanent  hands  employed  the  year 
around,  $25  to  $50  were  paid  in  California,  while  the 
same  class  of  laborers  I'eceived  in  the  older  States  from 
$12  to  $15  a month.'' 

Mr.  Mellon,  again,  it  will  be  remembered,  paid  $40  a 
month  to  a man  who  used  the  cradle  upon  his  place." 

Mr.  Evans  stated  that  in  building  the  Mendocino  rail- 
road, he  started  the  men  in  at  $40  a month  and  board, 
“ and  that  if  a man  was  found  to  be  worth  more  he  paid 
“ it  to  him.”^ 


' Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  iSo. 
^ Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  572. 


Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  300. 
■*  Rep.  Ch.  Im.,  p.  720. 


IN  CALIFORNIA  AND  THE  EAST. 


357 


Mr.  Hollister  said  ; — “ With  the  minimum  paid  for 
“ farming  work,  say  $25  a month  and  board,  I find  that 
“ it  is  impossible,  &c.”‘ 

The  rates  paid  for  farm  laborers  in  the  Western  States, 
as  shown  in  Dr.  Young’s  book,  and  cited  above,  were  cur- 
rency prices.  Ten  or  twelve  per  cent,  must  be  added  to 
these  rates  in  comparing  them  with  California  rates,  as 
an  allowance  for  the  difference  in  the  currencies  of  the 
two  regions.  ‘ 

The  relative  rates  in  the  Western  States  and  in  other 
districts  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains  is  sufficiently  ex- 
hibited in  the  following  tables  ; — 

Ordinary  farm  hands,  monthly  wages,  with  board,  in 
the  summer ; — 


Averasres. 


i860. 


New  England  States $13-70 

Middle  “ 

Western  “ 

Southern  “ 

In  the  Winter  ; — 

New  England  States 


Middle 

Western 

Southern 


9.71 

13.12 

9-23 

$9.66 

7-38 

11.04 

8.19 


1870. 

$20.68 

16.75 

18.33 

12.43 

$16.38 

12.45 

14.48 

10.04 


1874. 

$18.60 

16.93 

17-53 

11.58 

$14.42 

12.20 

13-37 

12.71 


It  seems  clear  from  the  foregoing  data  that  in  the  year 
1874,  the  wages  paid  to  white  farm  laborers  east  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  was  not  much  more  than  half  what 
their  confreres  were  receiving  in  California  at  the  same 
time. 

The  testimony  given  before  the  Congressional  com- 
mission shows  further  that  the  wages  paid  to  the  Chinese 
in  California  were  higher  than  those  paid  to  our  own 
people  in  the  East.  The  lowest  price  paid  to  them  as 


Rep.  Ch.  Iin.,  p.  768. 


358 


RELATIVE  RATES  IN  AMERICA 


permanent  laborers  appears  to  have  been  $15  a month 
and  board,  but  they  seem  to  have  received  usually  $i  a 
day,  they  boarding  themselves.  A fair  allowance  for 
board  is  perhaps  $6  or  $8  a month,  so  that  for  twenty- 
six  working  days  the  Chinaman  received  in  California, 
the  equivalent  of  $18  to  $20  a month  and  board,  or  in 
currency,  from  $20  to  $22  a month. 

The  wages  paid  in  San  Francisco  in  1874,  in  various 
employments  are  shown  in  the  following  table.  It  is 
from  the  report  of  Mr.  Martin,  already  referred  to. 


Statement  showing  the  wages  paid  in  San  Francisco  and  vicinity  in  the  year 
l8’j^,for  the  following  kinds  of  labor. 


Occupation. 

Wages  in 

00 

Bakers 

. per  month,  with  board . 

$40 

00 

to  $60 

00 

Blacksmiths 

3 

00 

to 

4 

00 

Book -binders 

3 

00 

to 

s 

00 

Brick-layers 

4 

00 

to 

s 

00 

Butchers 

.per  month,  with  board. . 

40 

CO 

to 

7S 

CO 

Carpenters,  house. 

per  day 

3 

S3 

to 

4 

so 

Cabinet-makers ... 

3 

00 

to 

4 

CO 

Coopers 

so 

to 

4 

OO 

Copper-smiths ; 

: do 

3 

SO 

to 

s 

00 

Engravers 

4 

SO 

to 

6 

00 

Gas-fitters 

3 

00 

to 

4 

so 

Harness-makers. . . 

2 

SO 

to 

s 

00 

Machinists 

3 

00 

to 

s 

CO 

Masons 

4 

00 

to 

s 

00 

Masons,  foremen . . , 

6 

00 

to 

7 

so 

Millwrights 

3 

00 

to 

s 

00 

Painters,  house . . . . 

SO 

to 

4 

00 

Painters,  ship 

3 

00 

to 

4 

00 

Plasterers 

4 

00 

to 

s 

00 

Plumbers 

4 

00 

to 

s 

00 

Saddlers 

00 

to 

s 

00 

Sail-makers 

3 

00 

to 

4 

00 

Shoemakers 

do 

00 

to 

4 

00 

Stone-cutters 

do 

4 

00 

to 

S 

00 

Tailors,  pants.... 

00 

to 

S 

00 

Tailors,  vests 

2 

00 

to 

3 

so 

Tailors,  coats 

do 

6 

00 

to 

10 

00 

Tinsmiths 

so 

to 

3 

so 

AJVB  IN  EUROPE. 


359 


That  these  rates  are  very  high  will  be  apparent  at  a 
glance.  The  following  table,  taken  from  “ Labor  in 
Europe,”  published  by  the  State  Department  in  1879 
will  show  how  they  compare  with  rates  elsewhere ; — 


Statement  showing  the  weekly  rates  of  wages  paid  to  the  following  trades  in  Eng- 
land and  the  rates  paid  to  similar  trades  in  New  York  and  in  Chicago. 


Occupations. 

England. 

New  York. 

Chicago. 

Bricklayers.  ...... 

$8 

12 

$12 

00 

to$i5 

00 

$ 6 

00 

0 

m 

0 

Or 

0 

Masons 

8 

16 

12 

00 

to 

18 

00 

12 

00 

to 

IS 

00 

Carpent’rs.  Joiners 

8 

25 

9 

00 

to 

12 

00 

7 

SO 

to 

12 

00 

Gasfitters 

7 

25 

10 

00 

to 

14 

oo 

10 

00 

to 

12 

00 

Painters 

7 

25 

10 

00 

to 

16 

00 

6 

00 

to 

12 

00 

Plasterers  

8 

10 

10 

00 

to 

IS 

00 

9 

00 

to 

15 

00 

Plumbers 

7 

75 

12 

00 

to 

18 

00 

12 

00 

to 

21 

00 

Slaters 

7 

90 

10 

00 

to 

15 

00 

12 

00 

to 

18 

00 

Blacksmiths 

8 

12 

10 

00 

to 

14 

00 

Q 

00 

to 

12 

00 

Bakers 

6 

50 

5 

00 

to 

8 

00 

8 

00 

to 

12 

00 

Bookbinders 

7 

83 

12 

00 

to 

18 

00 

9 

00 

to 

20 

00 

Shoemakers 

7 

35 

12 

00 

to 

18 

00 

9 

00 

to 

18 

00 

Butchers 

7 

23 

8 

00 

to 

12 

CO 

12 

00 

to 

18 

00 

Cabinet-makers  . . . 

7 

70 

9 

00 

to 

13 

op 

7 

00 

to 

15 

00 

Coopers 

7 

30 

12 

00 

to 

16 

00 

6 

00 

to 

15 

00 

Coppersmiths 

7 

40 

12 

oo 

to 

IS 

00 

15 

00 

to 

21 

00 

Cutlers 

8 

CO 

10 

CO 

to 

I 

00 

Engravers 

9 

72 

IS 

00 

to 

2S 

00 

9 

00 

to 

30  00 

Horseshoers 

7 

20 

12 

oo 

to 

18 

00 

15 

00 

to 

21 

00 

Millwrights 

7 

50 

10 

00 

to 

IS 

00 

12 

00 

to 

21 

00 

Printers 

7 

75 

8 

00 

to 

18 

00 

12 

00 

to 

18 

00 

Saddlers 

6 

80 

12 

00 

to 

IS 

00 

6 

00 

to 

12 

00 

Sailmakers 

7 

30 

12 

00 

to 

18 

00 

12 

00 

to 

IS 

00 

'1  insmiths 

7 

30 

10 

00 

to 

14 

00 

9 

00 

to 

12 

00 

Tailors 

$5  00  to  7 

30 

10 

00 

to 

18 

00 

6 

00 

to 

18 

CO 

Brassfinishers 

7 

40 

10 

00 

to 

14 

CO 

8 

00 

to 

15 

00 

Labor'rs,port'rs  <&c 

5 

00 

6 

00 

to 

9 

00 

S 50  to 

9 00 

From  this  table,  and  the  preceding  one,  it  appears, 
then,  that  the  bricklayer  who  receives  $8.12  in  England, 
$12  to  $15  in  New  York,  and  $6  to  $10.50  in  Chicago^ 
for  a week’s  work,  receives  in  San  Francisco  from  $24  to 
$30  a week ; that  the  blacksmith  receives,  in  England, 
$8.12  ; in  New  York,  $10  to  $14  ; in  Chicago,  $9  to  $12  ; 
and  in  San  Francisco,  $18  to  $24.  The  cabinet-maker, 
in  England,  $7.70;  in  New  York,  $9  to  $13  ; in  Chicago, 


3G0 


RATES  OF  WAGES 


$7  to  $i  5 ; in  San  Francisco,  $i8  to  $24.  The  millwright, 
in  England,  $7.50  ; in  New  York,  $10  to  15  ; in  Chicago, 
$12  to  $21  ; in  San  Francisco,  $18  to  $24.  The  saddler, 
in  England,  $6.80  ; in  New  York,  $12  to  $15  ; in  Chicago, 
$6  to  $12  ; in  San  Francisco,  $18  to  $30. 

And  it  appears,  further,  that  very  generally  wages  in 
trades  are  at  least  fifty  per  cent,  higher  in  New  York 
and  Chicago  than  in  England,  and  from  seventy-five  to 
one  hundred  per  cent,  lower  in  San  Erancisco  than  in 
New  York  and  Chicago. 

In  placing  the  average  rate  of  wages  in  England  at 
least  fifty  per  cent,  higher  than  in  New  York  and  Chicago, 
I am  certainly  within  the  mark.  Trades-unions  have 
become  universal  in  England  and  they  sustain  the  nom- 
inal wages  at  rates  which  appear  high.  These  must  be 
largely  reduced  in  making  a comparison  with  rates  in 
our  country  to  allow  for  half  and  two-thirds  time  work  in 
England,  which  has  become  very  common.  The  opera- 
tives and  artisans  there  prefer  to  sustain  rates  and  to  work 
less  time  rather  than  to  work  full  time  at  lower  rates. 
Nothing  of  this  kind  is  seen  in  the  United  States.  Tak- 
ing this  into  consideration  it  is  perhaps  safe  to  say  that 
wages  in  trades,  &c.,  in  England  are  not  more  than  half 
as  high  as  they  are  in  our  New  England,  Middle  and 
Western  States. 

Wages  in  England  again  are  much  higher  than  on  the 
Continent.  The  differences  are  exhibited  in  the  follow- 
ing table,  which  I have  taken  from  “ Labor  in  Europe,” 
and  extended  by  putting  down  also  the  wages  paid  in 
San  Francisco  as  reported  in  Mr.  Martin’s  table. 


Statement  shoiving  the  weekly  rates  of  wages  in  the  principal  cities  of  Europe  compared  with  rates  in  San  Francisco. 


IN  EUROPE  AND  AMERICA. 


361 


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362 


RATES  OF  LIVING 


It  will  be  seen  from  this  table  that  wages  in  Liverpool 
are  nearly  fifty  per  cent,  higher  than  in  the  cities  named 
of  Belgium,  France,  Spain  and  Switzerland,  and  fully 
one  hundred  per  cent,  higher  than  in  Dresden  and  Rome, 
and  taking  the  wages  of  Dresden  in  comparison  with 
those  of  San  Francisco,  the  former  are  only  one-sixth  of 
the  latter. 

While  so  great  discrepancies  exist  between  the  wages 
paid  in  Europe  and  America,  it  is  still  true  that  provis- 
ions are  generally  higher  in  Europe.  The  following 
table  taken  from  “ Labor  in  Europe”  shows  the  retail 
prices  paid  in  the  principal  cities  of  Europe,  and  in  New 
York  and  Chicago. 


Statement  showing  the  retail  price  of  the  necessaries  of  life  in  the  principal  cities  of  Europe,  compared  with  same 
in  New  York  and  Chicago.  (In  cents,  U.  S.  Currency.) 


IN  EUROPE  AND  AMERICA. 


363 


364 


RELATIVE  COST  OF  LIVING. 


Table  showing  ihe  average  retail  prices  of  provisions,  and  other  leading 
articles  of  consumption,  with  prices  of  house-rent,  board,  &=c.  (18^4). 


Articles. 

California. 

Averages 

for 

Western  States 

PROVISIONS. 

Flour,  wheat,  superfine 

$ 5 00 

$ 5 90 

Flour,  wheat,  extra  family 

5 33 

6 91 

Corn-meal 

6 00 

3 58 

Beef,  fresh,  roasting- pieces 

t-xYz 

iiK 

Beef,  fresh,  soup-pieces 

08 

08 

Beef,  fresh,  rump-steaks 

10 

ii^ 

Bet  f,  corned 

10 

o8>| 

Mutton,  fore-quarters 

10 

09 

Mutton,  leg 

iiK 

ii>^ 

Mutton  chops 

iiX 

12 

Pork,  fresh 

12^ 

iiY 

Pork,  corned  or  salted 

16 

iiA 

Pork,  bacon • 

17 

Pork,  hams,  smoked 

20 

i^sA 

Lard 

17 

^sA 

Cod-fish,  diy 

09 

09A 

Mackerel,  pickled 

II 

10^ 

Butter 

43 

24^ 

Cheese 

22 

17 

Potatoes 

I 12 

78 

Rice 

10 

H 

Beans 

oz'A 

Milk 

07 

06^ 

Eggs 

37 

19 

GROCERIES,  ETC. 

Tea,  Oolong  or  other  good  black 

73 

I IS 

Coffee,  Rio,  green 

26 

vA 

Sugar,  good  brown 

loyi 

10 

Molasses,  New  Orleans 

I 00 

89 

Fuel,  coal 

16  25 

6 30 

DOMESTICS,  DRY  GOODS,  ETC. 

Shirtings,  brown,  4-4,standard  quality,  per  yard. 

12A 

Cotton-flannel,  medium  quality 

20 

18 

Tickings,  good  quality 

26 

26A 

Prints,  hlerrimac 

10 

loA 

M ousseline  dc  laines 

21 

19 

Satinets,  medium  qualities 

87 

72 

Boots,  men’s  heavy 

. per  pair. 

4 75 

5 40 

HODSE-RENT. 

Four-roomed  tenements 

17  00 

9 12 

Six-roomed  tenements 

31  00 

18  90 

BOARD. 

For  men  (mechanics,  &c.) 

per  week. 

5 33 

4 14 

For  women  in  factories 

6 00 

3 25 

EUROPEANS,  NOT  CHINESE,  COMING. 


365 


The  foregoing  table  from  Dr.  Youngs’  book,  shows  the 
retail  prices  of  various  necessary  articles,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1 874,  and  the  average  prices  for  the  same  articles 
in  the  Western  States  in  the  same  year. 

An  examination  of  this  list  of  prices  will  show  that 
provisions  are  as  cheap,  practically,  in  California  as  in  the 
Western  States,  but  that  groceries  and  dry  goods  are 
higher.  There  is  no  reason,  however,  why  groceries 
should  remain  higher,  for  San  Francisco  is  near  to  dis- 
tricts which  produce  sugar,  coffee  and  tea.  The  transpor- 
tation of  cotton  goods  is  not  a very  large  item  in  their  cost 
to  the  consumer.  Woolen  goods  should  be  as  cheap  in 
California  as  in  Chicago.  Coal  will  probably  remain 
high,  and  rents  will  only  fall  as  capital  becomes  less 
dear.  Rates  for  board  appear  to  be  very  high  in  Cal- 
ifornia. There  is  no  reason,  so  far  as  I can  judge,  why  a 
woman  should  pay  more  than  a man.  When  I was  a 
boy  at  college  very  many  students  were  boarded  for 
$1.75  a week,  and  $2.50  was  considered  full  price  for  a 
satisfactory  table.  A fall  of  one-quarter  at  least  in  board 
and  rents  will  take  place  probably  in  the  next  decade. 

It  has  been  urged  vehemently  that  the  Chinese  will 
come  to  our  shores  in  overwhelming  numbers,  because 
of  the  great  attractions  which  they  find  here  in  high 
wages,  in  opportunities  for  enterprise  and  in  ease  of  life. 
The  result  has  not  yet  justified  the  fear.  The  same  at- 
tractions allure  the  people  of  Europe.  They  are  in  point 
of  fact  greater  for  the  European,  because  he  is  educated 
to  wants  which  he  cannot  supply  at  home,  and  which 
form  an  ever  present  incentive  for  him  to  go  abroad,  in 
the  hope  of  bettering  his  circumstances.  While,  then,  we 
have  not  found  the  fears  of  a large  immigration  from 
China  supported  by  the  event,  there  is  every  reason  to 
expect  a large  immigration  from  Europe.  During  the 
thirty  years  since  the  Chinese,  attracted  by  the  discovery 


366 


WAGES  OF  FARM  LABORERS 


of  gold  in  California,  began  to  move  toward  our  shores, 
they  have  rolled  up  no  greater  population  among  us  than 
100,000  souls.  In  the  same  period  the  immigration  from 
the  British  Isles  alone  has  aggregated  more  than  3,000,- 
000  of  persons,  and  that  from  Germany  more  than 
2,500,000.  In  1870,  out  of  our  whole  population  num- 
bering 38,558,371  persons,  no  less  than  5,567,229  were 
born  abroad. 

How  insignificant  beside  these  aggregates  appear  the 
number  of  Chinese  then  in  our  country.  Out  of  38,558,- 
371  of  population,  63,199  Chinese.  Out  of  5,567,229 
foreign  born  residents,  63,199  from  the  Middle  Kingdom. 
Verily,  “our  fears  do  make  us  traitors,”  traitors  to  our 
manhood,  traitors  to  our  high  destinies,  traitors  to  our 
duties  as  a nation,  traitors  to  our  solemnly  plighted  faith. 

In  looking  back  over  the  preceding  pages  I find  that  I 
have  failed  to  notice  two  things  which  deserve  to  be 
stated  ; first,  the  wages  paid  to  agricultural  laborers  in 
Europe,  and  second,  the  fact  that  the  Chinese  in  Aus- 
tralia have  taken  no  part  as  agricultural  laborers. 


Statement  showing  the  weekly  rates  of  wages  paid  to  afficultural  laborers  in 
various  countries. 


Occupations. 

France.  | 

1 

c 

g 

u 

0 

Italy. 

United  Kingdom. 

Engl’d 

Irel’nd 

Scotland. 

Men,  without  board  or 

lodging 

•$3  IS 

$2  87 

50 

§3  60 

$3  40 

$4  25 

Men,  with  board  and 

lodging 

I 36 

I 48 

I 80 

2 60 

I 30 

§I  50  to  2 40 

Women,  without  board  or 

lodging 

I 10 

I 08 

I 55 

1 80 

2 16 

I 80  to  3 25 

Women,  with  board  and 

lodging 

75 

60 

I IS 

75 

60  to  I 00 

It  will  be  a long  time,  I hope,  before  women  come  to 
do  farm  work  in  our  country,  in  the  region  at  any  rate 
that  has  always  been  dedicated  to  free  labor,  but  it  is  not 
out  of  place  to  call  attention  here  to  the  fact  that  women 


IN  EUROPE  AND  AMERICA. 


367 


do  work  in  the  fields  in  Europe  and  to  the  wages  which 
are  paid  to  them.  In  Germany,  with  board,  75  cents  a 
week  or  $3.00  a month;  in  England  $1.15  a week  or 
$4.60  a month.  Let  those  women  who  earn  at  house- 
work in  California  from  $20  to  $35  a month  with  board, 
and  in  the  factories  from  $24  to  $40,  without  board,  re- 
member how  different  is  the  recompense  of  their  sisters 
beyond  the  Atlantic. 

Nor  will  it  do  any  harm  to  laborers  in  California,  very 
many  of  whom  are  of  foreign  origin,  and  wLo  are  yet  so 
illiberal  as  to  cry  out  against  the  Chinese,  to  bear  in 
mind  that  while  they  are  earning  from  $25  to  $40  or 
more  a month  with  board,  their  brothers  in  France  and 
Germany  are  paid  less  than  $6  a month,  and  in  England 
less  than  $7.50. 

The  reference  to  Australia  I may  best  make  in  the 
language  of  the  observer  himself ; — 

“No  Australian  capitalist  employs  Chinese  in  any 
“ manufacture  or  in  any  agricultural  industry.  Out  of 
“ the  50,000  in  that  region,  40,000  are  supposed  to  be 
“ engaged  in  gold  mining.  A considerable  number  have 
“ established  themselves  as  market  gardeners,  and  oth- 
“ ers  in  bizarre  branches,  as  butchers,  bakers,  hands  in 
“ back  cpuntry  stations,  cooks  on  tripang  boats,  furniture- 
“ makers,  and  sometimes  as  contract  road  laborers  ; but 
“their  employment  by  masters  other  than  their  own 
“ countrymen,  is  quite  inappreciable,  and  quite  inappre- 
“ciable  their  employment  even  in  tropical  Queensland 
“ in  any  domestic  capacity.” 

A more  pertinent  and  forcible  commentary  upon  the 
views  which  I have  put  forward  could  not  be  imagined. 

* Report  on  the  Chinese  in  Aus-  M’s.  consular  service.  Sept;  1877., 
tralia,  by  J.  Dundas  Crawford,  II.  Mss. 


PART  IV.— CHAPTER  V. 


FEARS  OF  AN  OVERFLOWING  IMMIGRATION  OF  THE' 

CHINESE.  THEY  ARE  NOT  A MIGRATORY  PEOPLE. 

The  question  of  the  disposition  of  the  Chinese  to  move  out  from  their  own 
territories  considered.  Their  habits  in  this  respect  unchanged.  No 
change  can  occur  without  a warning.  Their  occupation  of  other  terri- 
tories has  been  the  result  of  slow  growth  and  not  of  migrations.  They 
are  not  migratory  nor  aggressive.  The  history  of  their  conquests. 
The  surrounding  petty  states.  Nature  of  the  relations  between  them 
and  China.  Corea,  Lew  Chew,  Annam,  Siam,  Burmah.  All  of  these 
might  have  been  overrun  by  the  Chinese,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  has 
occurred.  The  outlying  districts  belonging  to  China  have  not  been 
settled  up.  The  facts  regarding  Formosa.  Unsubdued  aboriginal 
tribes  in  the  heart  of  the  empire.  The  Miau-tsz.  Manchuria. 
The  south  of  Manchuria  long  ago  settled  by  a gradual  movement  of 
the  Chinese.  The  central  and  northern  parts  scarcely  touched  by  the 
hands  of  men.  The  vast  region  of  Inner  Mongolia.  It  is  still  unoc- 
cupied although  suitable  for  cultivation  and  adjacent  to  China  proper. 
The  Chinese  have  made  no  military  conquests  in  the  last  hundred 
years.  The  indifference  of  the  Chinese  in  the  recent  famine. 

It  will  be  instructive  to  consider,  in  connection  with 
what  has  preceded,  the  question  of  the  disposition  of  the 
Chinese  themselves  to  go  out  from  their  own  country. 

We  have  in  China,  as  has  been  said  so  often,  an  im- 
mense aggregation  of  human  beings.  If  they  choose  to 
move,  the  result  may  well  cause  uneasiness.  It  matters 
not  whether  the  population  of  the  empire  reaches  to 
400,000,000,  or  does  not  exceed  200,000,000,  the  num- 
bers are  so  great  that  if  they  are  once  set  in  motion, 
whether  for  purposes  of  war  or  of  peace,  the  fact  cannot 
fail  to  make  a difference  upon  the  earth. 

Will  they  move  ? Is  there  a spirit  latent  within  them 
which  is  being  aroused  and  which  will  induce  them  to 


THE  CHINESE  NOT  MIGRATORY. 


369 


throw  off  the  lethargy  of  all  their  history  and  start  for- 
ward in  a career  of  development  within  and  conquest 
without  ? They  have  vast  numbers.  They  are  one 
people  under  one  goverment.  They  are  not  deficient  in 
physical  or  intellectual  capacity.  Is  there  to  be  a resur- 
rection of  buried  activities  } 

It  is  idle  to  speculate  upon  this  subject.  To  one  per- 
son one  result  will  seem  inevitable,  to  another  quite  a 
different  result.  I have  no  desire  to  indulge  in  mere 
speculations.  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  what  I 
have  written  I have  examined  evidence  and  stated  con- 
clusions based  upon  it.  All  that  can  be  said  now  is  that 
no  such  revival  or  outburst  of  national  spirit  has  taken 
place  as  to  cause  any  sensible  difference  in  the  habits  of 
the  people  of  our  trans-Pacific  ally. 

China  is  not  unmindful  altogether  of  what  is  going  on 
in  the  world,  but  down  to  this  moment  she  stands  like  an 
old  and  infirm  person  in  the  midst  of  a younger  genera- 
tion, appreciative  of  the  fact  that  their  ways  are  different 
from  her  own,  appreciative  of  the  vigor  which  they  ex- 
hibit, but  too  far  wedded  to  old  habits  to  make  a change  ; 
dreading  a change  as  an  innovation  upon  secure  and 
comfortable  ways,  and  dangerous  to  her  peace. 

It  is  this  China  with  which  we  are  dealing.  It  will  be 
time  enough  to  deal  with  the  new  China  when  it  has 
arisen.  All  friends  of  that  great  people,  all  friends  of  the 
human  race,  hope  for  their  uprising  ; but  there  is  no  need 
to  anticipate  the  result  when  one  is  considering  ques- 
tions of  the  moment.  It  may  be  through  internecine  war; 
it  may  be  a result  of  combat  with  neighboring  powers  ; it 
may  be  by  the  downfall  of  one  dynasty  and  the  peaceful 
but  progressive  teachings  of  another;  it  may  be  by  the 
overthrow  of  the  nation  and  the  substitution  of  foreign 
rule,  that  the  change  will  come.  There  is  only  this  one 
thing  certain  about  it.  It  will  not  be  a change  unseen, 


370 


THEIR  PROGRESS,  NATURAL  GROWTH. 


nor  without  premonitory  indications.  If  it  threatens  us 
ever,  we  shall  have  the  opportunity  to  care  for  it.  It 
may  never  threaten  us  at  all,  but  add  just  so  much  to 
our  opportunities.  We  are  not  less,  but  more  rich  and 
strong,  because  Europe  is  rich  and  strong.  The  fructi- 
fying streams  of  commerce,  which  flow  between  us  and 
Europe,  may  hereafter  find  their  analogy  in  our  com- 
merce with  Asia.  And  when  that  time  comes,  there 
may  be  as  little  danger  of  an  irruption  of  Asiatics  upon 
our  soil  as  there  is  now  of  their  pouring  themselves  down 
upon  the  gates  of  Berlin  or  Rome. 

And  what,  then,  is  the  China  of  to-day.  The  whole 
world  knows  what  she  is,  if  they  will  but  stop  to  think 
about  it.  It  would  seem  almost  a work  of  supererogation 
to  say  what  she  is.  Yet,  when  people  allow  their  fears 
to  run  away  with  them,  when  the  danger  that  China, 
false  to  all  her  traditions,  is  to  make  a peaceful  invasion 
of  our  country,  is  seriously  apprehended,  it  is  time  to 
recall  attention  to  at  least  some  of  the  characteristics  of 
the  country. 

In  doing  this,  I shall  not  travel  outside  of  my  proper 
subject.  I shall  not  give  expression  to  any  general  obser- 
vations in  regard  to  the  actual  number  of  the  population, 
nor  in  regard  to  the  character  of  the  government  and  the 
qualities  of  the  people.  I shall  adhere  strictly  to  my 
inquiry,  showing,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  Chinese,  what- 
ever else  they  may  be,  are  neither  migratory  nor  aggres- 
sive, that  they  have  passed  very  little  beyond  their  strict 
boundaries ; and,  second,  that  when  they  have  done  so, 
their  progress  has  been  a natural  extension  of  their  fields 
of  operation,  not  a migration,  excepting  when  the  circum- 
stances have  been  extraordinary  and  exceptional. 

I have  said  that  the  Chinese  are  not  migratory  nor 
aggressive.  The  one  expression  is  not  synonymous  with 
the  other,  and  yet  it  may  be  said  that  no  people  are 


RELATIONS  WITH  NEIGHBORING  STATES. 


371 


aggressive  whose  instincts  are  not  in  some  measure  mi- 
gratory, and  that  no  people  are  migratory  who  do  not 
become,  by  the  fact,  aggressive.  It  is  inevitable  when 
conquest  comes,  that  the  conquerors  shall,  in  some  way, 
occupy  the  region.  It  is  inevitable,  when  migration  takes 
place,  that  the  new  element  shall,  in  some  way,  come  into 
collision  with  the  old — become  aggressive  as  a very'means 
of  defence. 

What,  then,  is  to  be  said,  first,  of  the  conquests  of  the 
Chinese. 

This  vast  empire  is  not  the  creation  of  a day.  It  had 
assumed,  practically,  its  present  proportions  long  enough 
before  our  government  was  formed,  but  in  all  this  time, 
during  which  we  have  spread  out  from  a narrow  fringe 
of  population  scattered  along  the  Atlantic  until  we  cover 
the  richest  portions  of  the  continent  from  sea  to  sea,  what 
has  China  done  in  the  way  of  conquest  or  aggression  ? 
Has  Corea,  a petty  state  of  five  to  eight  millions,  whose 
capital  is  scarcely  a fortnight’s  journey  on  horseback  from 
the  capital  of  China,  fallen  a prey  to  the  ambition  of  her 
great  neighbor  Have  the  Lew  Chew  islands,  forming  a 
petty  kingdom  off  her  coast,  lost  their  independence  ? 
Has  Annam,  or  Cambodia,  or  Burmah,  or  Siam,  been  in- 
corporated into  the  body  politic  ? Has  there  been  made  a 
single  movement  by  China  calculated  to  threaten  the 
safety  of  those  states,  or  have  they  had  any  reason  to 
regard  her  with  any  other  feelings  than  those  of  respect, 
confidence  and  friendliness  ? 

There  is  to  me  a great  attraction  in  the  fact  that  this 
vast  empire  has  stood  for  generations,  nay  centuries, 
regardful  of  her  neighbors’  boundaries  and  their  rights. 
Whether  this  has  been  the  result  of  her  weakness  or  of 
her  virtue  matters  little  for  the  purposes  of  our  argu- 
ment, but  who  can  say  that  it  has  been  the  result  alto- 
gether of  weakness  ? Her  civilization  has  been  superior 


372 


COREA,  LEW  CHEW  AND  ANNAM. 


to  theirs,  her  resources  have  been  overwhelming,  her 
power  has  been  consolidated.  And  yet,  despite  of  all 
the  allurements  of  dominion,  the  ambition  of  princes, 
the  encroachments  of  individuals,  they  have  retained 
their  territories  and  China  has  remained  their  steadfast 
friend  and  ally,  exacting  no  tribute,  interchanging  offices 
of  friendliness,  presenting  to  the  world  a spectacle  of 
moderation  and  good  faith  the  like  of  which  has  scarcely 
been  seen  elsewhere  in  any  age  or  in  any  quarter  of  the 
globe. 

We  may  well  pause  a moment  to  regard  the  facts  more 
carefully. 

Corea,  the  most  northern  of  these  petty  states  occu- 
pies a fair  region,  and  geographically  speaking  is  naturally 
a part  of  China.  Her  northern  boundary  touches  Chi- 
nese territory  from  sea  to  sea.  The  waters  which  lave 
her  coasts  are  seas  in  which  China  has  an  interest.  Her 
territory  is  a peninsula  jutting  into  the  ocean  from  a 
mainland  which  is  owned  by  China.  Her  population 
does  not  exceed  a third  of  the  average  population  of  the 
several  provinces  of  the  empire. 

Lew  Chew  is  a petty  state  with  a handful  of  people 
only,  adjacent  to  the  middle  coast  of  China,  possessed  of 
a fertile  soil  and  genial  climate,  with  some  resources 
within  herself,  rich  in  fisheries,  and  holding  a situation 
which  might  be  considered  of  political  importance  to 
her  great  neighbor. 

Annam  which  includes,  or  has  generally  included.  Ton- 
quin,  Annam  proper,  and  more  or  less  of  Cambodia,  and 
stretches  away  from  the  southern  boundary  of  China  a 
thousand  miles,  is  in  great  part  a rich  champaign  coun- 
try, occupied  by  races  which  are  of  Mongolian  origin. 
The  states  which  compose  this  district  have  at  different 
times  fallen  more  or  less  perfectly  under  Chinese  control, 
but  for  a century,  nearly,  the  Chinese  have  not  interfered 


S/AAI  AND  BURMAH. 


373 


with  them.  They  have  been  torn,  however,  by  rivalries 
between  themselves  and  with  the  more  western  states  of 
the  same  region,  and  have  offered  to  any  aggressive  race 
opportunities  for  eas}^  conquest.  The  population  of  the 
whole  region,  including  the  districts  lately  occupied  by 
the  French,  does  not  exceed  10,000,000. 

Siam,  a second  great  division  of  Farther  India,  touches 
Annam  on  the  east,  China  on  the  north  and  Burmah  on 
the  west.  Her  people  are  more  nearly  allied  to  the  In- 
dian stock  than  to  the  Mongolian.  Her  territory  is  level 
and  rich  in  the  south,  but  mountainous  in  the  north. 
Her  population  does  not  exceed  7,500,000. 

Burmah,  a third  great  division,  touches  China  on  the 
north  east.  The  population  is  probably  about  3,000,000. 
Her  territories  on  the  north  and  east  are  rough  and  un- 
profitable, but  an  extensive  region  in  the  south  and  west 
is  well  watered  and  fertile. 

These  several  states,  hardly  less  than  Corea  and  Lew 
Chew,  would  have  offered  to  an  aggressive  neighbor,  of 
the  immense  resources  of  China,  a tempting  field  for 
conquest.  They  were  not  banded  together.  Their  pop- 
ulation was  not  homogeneous.  They  were  frequently  pit- 
ted one  against  the  other  in  war.  They  were  rich  in 
various  resources.  Their  peoples  were  less  vigorous  than 
the  Chinese.  They  were  more  or  less  connected  with 
the  Chinese  by  earlier  relations  and  by  commercial  en- 
terprises, yet  there  has  been  profound  peace  between 
each  and  all  of  them  and  the  Chinese  for  nearly  a cen- 
tury. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  relations  existing  have  been 
more  than  simply  peaceful.  It  has  been  usual  for  each 
of  these  states  to  send  to  the  court  of  Peking  at  given 
periods,  envoys  bearing  complimentary  presents  and  let- 
ters of  a congratulatory  sort.  In  some  if  not  in  all  cases, 
each  new  ruler  has  requested  the  confirmation  of  his  au- 


374 


FRIENDLY  RE  LA  TIONS. 


thority  in  the  form  of  a patent  of  investiture  issued  by  the 
government  of  China.  The  Chinese  have  sent  back 
complimentary  missions  and  presents.  These  relations 
have  been  in  the  main  those  which  might  be  expected  to 
subsist  between  petty  Asiatic  states  and  a greater  power 
whose  capacity  to  injure  was  manifest,  but  whose  dispo- 
sition to  draw  closer  the  bonds  of  friendliness  was  con- 
stantly exhibited. 

It  might  be  expected  that  the  greater  state  would  at 
least  demand  that  the  allied  lesser  states  should  receive 
her  people  and  afford  them  normal  opportunities  for  the 
prosecution  of  trade  and  of  such  enterprises  as  might  be 
agreeable  to  them.  But  China  does  not  seem  to  have 
asked  even  this  from  her  neighbors.  She  neither  sought 
to  defend  her  people  in  going  out  among  them,  nor  took 
measures  to  prevent  their  going.  They  were  constantly 
going  in  greater  or  less  measure,  but  they  accepted  them- 
.selves  all  the  risks  attending  their  movements.  Into 
some  of  the  petty  states,  at  least  Corea,  the  Chinese 
were  prohibited  from  coming.  The  prohibition  remains 
to  this  day,  and  China  makes  no  complaint.  In  Lew 
Chew  no  Chinese  are  resident,  but  whether  this  is  the  re- 
sult of  prohibition  or  not  I am  not  in  a position  to  state. 

In  Annam  the  Chinese  have  been  received  for  the 
most  part,  in  a friendly  manner.  They  wander  into  the 
country  wifeless,  and  intermarry  freely  with  the  native 
women.  Rakel  says  that  they  are  regarded  and  treated 
almost  like  natives,  and  Crawford,  who  had  been  much 
among  the  Annamites,  said  that  the  best  means  which 
Europeans  can  command  there  for  the  promotion  of 
whatever  ends  of  commerce  and  intercourse  they  enter- 
tain is  the  assistance  of  Chinamen.  ~ 

Under  these  circumstances  we  should  expect  to  find  a 
large  population  of  the  Chinese  in  Annam.  Her  rich  lands, 
her  mineral  wealth,  her  thinner  population,  the  inferior 


THE  CHINESE  IN  ANNAM. 


375 


vigor  and  energy  of  her  people,  would  all  seem  calcu- 
lated to  invite  the  practical,  industrious,  enterprising 
and  money  loving  Chinese  to  find  their  way  thither 
in  great  numbers.  The  facts,  however,  do  not  bear 
out  the  expectation.  Ritter  estimates  the  Chinese 
population  of  Cochin  China,  (lower  Annam,)  at  40,000 
souls,  and  of  Tonquin  at  25,000.  French  authors 
estimate  the  Chinese  who  were  resident  in  the  Sai- 
gon district  at  the  time  of  their  occupation  at  about 
5,000.  All  these  estimates  are  vague  and  more  likely,  as 
I believe,  to  be  above  the  mark  than  below  it,  for  the  rea- 
son that  authors  who  deal  with  Eastern  questions  appear 
to  be  disposed  to  exaggerate  the  influence  of  China  upon 
the  surrounding  populations.  Those  at  least  who  are 
not  acquainted  with  the  Chinese  and  who  judge  from  the 
European  stand-point  naturally  conceive  that  a popula- 
tion of  300,000,000  cannot  fail  to  have  made  itself  felt 
in  a very  positive  manner  among  surrounding  inferior 
populations. 

I cannot  but  dwell  a moment  here  to  indicate  the  very 
good  impression  which  the  Chinese  in  Tonquin  and  Co- 
chin China  have  made  upon  European  observers.  Crawford, 
as  I have  stated,  declares  that  they  are  the  people  most 
likely  to  promote  there  the  objects  of  Europeans.  He 
adds  that  while  we  must  depend  upon  them  for  informa- 
tion, they  exhibit  a degree  of  sound  judgment  which  is 
seldom  found  among  the  natives  and  that  he  had  seldom 
been  deceived  when  he  followed  their  advice.  Finlayson 
remarks  at  some  length  in  the  same  sense,  and  the 
French  appear  to  have  received  equally  favorable  im- 
pressions and  to  have  decided  that  Chinese  immigration 
to  their  lately  acquired  territories  should  be  encouraged. 
In  Tonquin,  a considerable  portion  of  the  Chinese 
element  is  engaged  in  agriculture,  and  another  part  in 
gold  mining.  In  Cochin  China,  the  Chinese  seldom  be- 


376 


THE  CHINESE  IN  SIAM. 


come  workers  in  the  fields  and  their  population  is  con- 
fined almost  exclusively  to  the  towns,  in  which  they  are 
for  the  most  part  traders  and  money  lenders. 

In  Siam  the  Chinese  have  taken  up  a more  prominent 
position  than  in  Annam  and  Burmah.  Crawford,  fifty 
years  ago,  estimated  the  whole  population  at  2,735,000, 
and  the  Chinese  part  at  440,000.  Pallegoix,  writing  more 
lately,  set  down  the  general  population  at  6,000,000,  and 
the  Chinese  at  1,500,000,  and  Mouhot’s  report  is  the 
same.  The  occasion  for  this  larger  intercourse  between 
Siam  and  China  than  between  the  other  southern  dis- 
tricts and  the  northern  empire  is  to  be  found  in  the  facts 
that  for  a long  period  rice  and  sugar,  staple  articles  of 
food  among  the  Chinese,  have  been  produced  there  in 
quantities  admitting  of  exportation  to  China,  and  that 
Siam  abounds  in  valuable  woods  which  have  been  in 
great  demand  for  exportation.  In  this  way,  long  ago,  a 
large  trade  sprang  up,  the  Chinese  bringing  in  various 
wares  and  merchandise  and  taking  out  food  supplies, 
timber,  &c.  They  were  even  permitted  to  build  junks  in 
Siam  and  to  have  these  enrolled  in  China  upon  the  same 
terms  as  home  built  vessels.  It  would  appear  also  that 
they  were  not  limited  as  residents  to  trade  and  the  ordi- 
nary lines  of  enterprise,  but  were  largely  employed  by 
the  government  in  the  collection  of  its  revenues  and  as 
farmers  of  government  monopolies.  One  cannot  wonder 
that  under  these  circumstances  they  have  obtained  a 
strong  position  in  the  state. 

In  estimating  the  Chinese  population  at  one  and  a half 
millions,  it  appears  likely  that  not  only  the  immediate 
immigrants  have  been  counted,  but  also  the  children  and 
descendants  of  immigrants  who  have  retained  the  national 
dress  and  habits  of  their  fathers.  The  Siamese  and  the 
Chinese  arc  very  unlike  in  physical  characteristics,  in 
habits  of  life  and  in  dress,  and  it  would  be  only  a natural 


THE  CHINESE  IN  BURMAH. 


377 


thing  for  the  Chinese,  although  they  marry  native  women 
to  rear  their  children  as  members  of  the  favored  class  to 
which  they  themselves  belong. 

The  Chinese  in  Burmah  are  few  in  number.  The  dis- 
tance by  sea  is  so  great  that  the  rude  junks  have  not 
often  essayed  the  voyage,  and,  practically,  all  intercourse 
has  been  conducted  landward  with  Yunnan,  the  south- 
west province  of  the  empire.  The  country  which  inter- 
venes between  the  richer  portions  of  Burmah  and  Yunnan 
is  mountainous,  and  it  remains  in  great  part  in  possession 
of  half  savage  tribes. 

It  appears  from  this  recital  that  Chinese  settlers  have 
gained  no  foothold  at  all  in  Corea  and  the  Lew  Chew 
islands,  that  in  the  eastern  states  of  Farther  India  and 
in  Burmah,  their  numbers  are  inconsiderable,  and  that  to 
Siam  only,  of  all  the  petty  states  named,  they  have  gone 
in  numbers  calculated  to  attract  attention.  In  this  in- 
stance, it  is  to  be  said  that  the  circumstances  have  con- 
spired to  attract  them  thither.  There  have  been  wants  on 
the  one  and  the  other  side  which  the  other  could  supply. 
A good  disposition  has  prevailed  between  the  two  gov- 
ernments. The  Chinese  are  superior  in  mental  and  phys- 
ical energy.  The  voyage  from  Canton  to  Bangkok,  in 
junks,  under  favorable  circumstances,  would  not  exceed 
a fortnight. 

But  if  stress  be  laid  upon  this  instance  as  one  which 
shows  a tendency  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  to  emigrate 
when  opportunities  are  favorable,  it  may  be  said  that 
their  failure  to  enter  and  to  overrun  Corea,  the  Lew  Chew  ■ 
islands,  and  the  various  states  of  Farther  India,  exhibits 
in  a more  marked  degree  their  unwillingness  or  ina- 
bility to  force  themselves  into  districts  where  the  very 
most  favorable  opportunities  do  not  exist. 

I shall  not  dwell  upon  this  proposition,  because  there 
are  other  examples  of  the  failure  of  the  Chinese,  as  pio- 
neers and  colonists,  which  are  in  point. 


378 


THE  CHINESE  IN  FORMOSA. 


The  facts  in  regard  to  the  Chinese  occupation  of  For- 
mosa are  very  pertinent  in  this  connection.  This  island 
lies  immediately  opposite  the  richest  and  most  populous 
provinces  of  the  empire.  It  is  250  miles  long  and  90 
miles  broad  in  its  widest  part.  The  strait  which  separates 
it  from  China  is  60  miles  wide.  It  is  rich  in  mineral 
resources  and  the  productions  of  the  soil.  The  Chinese 
. .lade  their  conquest,  (if  it  may  be  called  such,)  of  this  great 
territory  so  long  ago  as  1683,  but  down  to  this  moment 
they  do  not  occupy  one  half  of  the  island.  The  rest  of 
it  remains  in  the  possession  of  aboriginal  tribes  who  are 
not  thrifty,  not  vigorous,  not  even  warlike. 

The  facts  in  regard  to  certain  aborigines  who  occupy 
parts  of  the  soil  of  China  proper  are  also  pertinent. 
They  are  called  Miau-tsz,  and  consist  of  forty  or  fifty 
tribes  scattered  over  the  mountains  of  Kwantung, 
Kwang  Si,  Hunan  and  Kweichau,  provinces  of  southern 
central  China.  They  live  in  mud  hovels,  or  in  huts  con- 
structed upon  the  branches  of  trees.  Their  agriculture 
is  rude,  and  their  garments  are  obtained  by  barter  with 
the  lowland  Chinese,  or  coarsely  woven  by  themselves. 
They  appear  to  be  savages  who  are  in  more  or  less  con- 
stant strife  among  themselves,  and  who  instead  of  taking 
up  from  the  Chinese  any  part  of  their  civilization,  seize 
all  good  opportunities  to  plunder  them.  They  have  been 
able,  nevertheless,  to  hold  their  mountain  homes  free 
from  the  encroachments  of  Chinese  settlers,  and  in  spite 
of  all  attempts  of  the  government  to  subdue  them. 

It  has  been  generally  believed  that  the  large  Chinese 
population  of  Manchuria  affords  evidence  of  the  migra- 
tory character  of  the  Chinese  people,  but  ’the  facts,  as  I 
understand  them,  tend  in  the  other  direction.  This  dis- 
trict, extending  from  the  gulf  of  Pechihli  to  the  Amoor 
river,  a distance  of  800  miles,  and  averaging  500  miles 
in  breadth,  is  a region  fit  for  an  empire.  It  is  fairiy  well 


THE  CHINESE  IN  MANCHURIA. 


379 


watered,  the  soil  is  capable  of  producing  large  crops  of 
such  gfains  as  flourish  in  our  Northern  States,  and  the 
climate  is  not  unlike  that  of  New  England.  It  is  said 
that  tobacco  grows  from  one  end  of  this  region  to 
the  other,  and  the  fact  demonstrates  its  resources 
as  an  agricultural  country.  It  has  a central  plain  run- 
ning the  whole  distance  from  the  gulf  to  the  Amoor, 
the  water-shed  of  the  southern  part  looking  to  the 
south,  that  of  the  north  toward  the  Amoor.  This 
plain,  or  valley,  is  bordered  on  the  east  and  west  by 
mountains  which  are  rich  in  mineral  wealth.  The  pop- 
ulation in  earlier  centuries  was  given  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, to  hunting  and  fishing,  but  was  not  nomadic  like 
the  Mongolian  population  occupying  the  great  elevated 
arid  plateau  west  of  Manchuria.  It  was  never  densely 
inhabited,  and  to  this  day  the  central  and  northern  valley 
is  a region  of  tall,  waving  grass  and  dense  forests  broken 
in  upon  by  occasional  towns  and  hamlets. 

The  Manchus  conquered  China  nearly  250  years  ago, 
and  since  then  the  two  countries  have  been  under  one 
rule,  and  the  result  is  seen  in  the  fact,  that  the  Chinese, 
who  are  given  to  settled  ways  of  life  and  industry,  who 
are  more  industrious,  and  more  shrewd  than  their  north- 
ern neighbors,  have  gradually  pressed  forward,  until  the 
southern  part  of  Manchuria  has  become  in  fact,  and  in 
name,  a Chinese  province,  with  a population  ot  ten  or 
twelve  millions,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  of  Chinese  stock. 
Into  central  and  northern  Manchuria  they  have  pene- 
trated, but  not  to  anything  like  a similar  extent,  the 
Manchus  retiring  before  them,  as  the  Indians  of  our 
continent  retire  before  the  white  man,  or  keeping  up  a 
semblance  of  their  national  habits  and  traits  in  separate 
quarters  of  the  towns,  or  in  detached  villages  of  their 
own. 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  ascertain  the  numbers  of  the 


380 


MANCHURIA. 


native  and  Chinese  population  in  central  and  northern 
Manchuria  ; that  of  southern  Manchuria  I have  already 
given.  The  population  of  the  former  may  reach  2,500,- 
000,  and  of  these  one-half  may  be  Chinese  by  birth  or 
origin. 

In  speaking  of  southern  Manchuria,  and  of  the  large 
Chinese  population  there,  it  must  be  remembered  that 
this  region  borders  upon  Chihli,  the  north-eastern  of  the 
Chinese  provinces  proper,  and  the  seat  of  the  imperial 
government  for  the  last  500  years.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered also,  that  a considerable  portion  of  this  region,  that 
bordering  the  Liau  river,  has  been  occupied  from  the 
earliest  historical  periods  by  a Chinese  population,  with 
the  settled  habits  of  their  nation.  “ Although  situated  be- 
“yond  the  great  wall,  it  has  always  been  a part,  though 
“ a very  exposed,  and  often  politically  separated  part  of 
“China  proper.” ‘ 

We  see  then  that  the  Chinese  population  of  southern 
Manchuria  must  be  considered  native  to  the  soil  as  much 
as  the  populations  of  the  more  southern  districts,  and  that 
its  growth,  which  has  been  rapid,  has  been  entirely  a 
normal  growth,  proceeding  from  the  natural  increase  of 
the  people,  and  the  influx  of  persons  from  neighboring 
provinces  attracted  thither,  as  the  people  of  our  Eastern 
States  are  attracted  to  our  northwest  country  by  the  ex- 
cellence of  the  soil,  and  the  abundance  of  unoccupied 
land. 

Liautung  or  southern  Manchuria  embraces  a district 
of  60,000  square  miles ; Kirin  or  central  Manchuria, 
135,000  square  miles,  and  Tsitsihar  or  northern  Man- 
churia, 195,000  square  miles.  The  latter  districts  as  I 
have  indicated,  are  hardly  touched  by  the  hand  of  man. 
Situated  so  near  to  densely  settled  parts  of  the  empire, 
possessed  of  an  excellent  climate,  fertile  soil,  mineral 

‘ Williamson,  North  China.,  Vol.  II.,  p.  77. 


INNER  MONGOLIA. 


381 


resources,  and  fair  water  communications,  what  has  hin- 
dered the  Chinese  from  occupying  them  ? Kirin  and 
Titsihar  have  a population  of  less  than  ten  persons  to  the 
square  mile.  The  average  in  China  may  be  300  to  the 
square  mile.  How  is  it  that  the  “ incalculable  hordes  ” 
of  the  latter  have  not  passed  over  and  occupied  this 
region  ? The  answer  is  to  be  found  in  the  simple  propo- 
sition that  the  Chinese,  whether  of  the  north  or  of  the 
south,  and  those  of  the  north,  less  even  than  those  of  the 
south,  are  not  aggressive  nor  migratory. 

Stretching  away  from  the  western  boundary  of  Man- 
churia along  the  northern  boundaries  of  the  provinces  of 
Chihli  and  Shansi  lies  the  vast  region  of  Inner  Mongolia. 
It  is  an  elevated  plateau,  where  grass  grows,  and  which 
in  some  part  is  fit  for  the  cultivation  of  the  more  hardy 
cereals.  Further  north  it  shades  away  into  arid  lands 
and  the  desert,  and  beyond  these  again  are  the  fertile 
and  more  low-lying  lands  of  Siberia.  Throughout  this 
whole  region  the  slow-moving,  phlegmatic  Mongolian 
tends  to  his  flocks,  living  in  tent-like  huts,  and  preserv- 
ing everywhere  the  nomadic  ways  which  have  character- 
ized the  race  throughout  all  the  generations  of  its  his- 
toiy.  For  more  than  a century  this  region  has  been 
under  the  sway  of  the  Middle  Kingdom.  In  the  south- 
eastern part  it  presents  many  analogies  to  the  physical 
features  of  Manchuria.  Added  to  Manchuria,  Inner  Mon- 
golia makes  a district  half  as  large  as  China  proper.  The 
capacities  of  this  immense  region  are  thus  described  by 
Dr.  Williamson  ; — ^ 

“ The  soil  of  Mongolia  appears  to  be  much  more  capa- 
“ble  of  cultivation  than  is  generally  supposed.  The 
“ countless  years  during  which  it  has  lain  fallow,  and  the 
“ numberless  flocks  and  herds  which  have  pastured  upon 
“ its  natural  grasses,  cannot  but  have  enriched  the  soil. 

* North  China.,  p.  14. 


382 


INNER  MONGOLIA. 


“ The  frost  retains  the  moisture  in  the  earth  during  the 
“ winter,  and  so  when  the  summer  comes  the  ground  is 
“ fit  for  produce.  I found  not  only  in  the  valleys  of  the 
“ mountainous  districts,  but  on  the  plains,  excellent  crops 
“ of  millet  of  all  kinds,  several  varieties  of  pulse  and  bar- 
“ ley  in  many  quarters,  also  indigo  and  the  poppy  for 
“ opium  in  the  large  level  districts  on  the  northeast. 
“ J udging  therefore  from  the  known  to  the  unknown,  I 
“ should  say  that  by  far  the  larger  part  of  Inner  Mongo- 
“ lia  may  be  laid  down  in  crops.  Some  tracts  are  sterile 
“ and  sandy ; but  it  seems  obvious  that  a land  which 
“yields  such  luxuriant  crops  of  tall  prairie  grass,  capa- 
“ ble  of  sustaining  countless  flocks  and  herds,  would  also 
“ abundantly  respond  to  the  farmer  and  the  plow.  And 
“ though  the  season  is  limited,  yet  the  power  of  the  sun 
“ is  such  that  it  rapidly  brings  the  crops  to  perfection,  (as 
“ the  saying  is,  you  can  almost  see  them  growing,)  and 
“thus  provides  for  all  the  labors  of  husbandry  being 
“ completed  before  the  frost  sets  in.  There  is,  therefore, 
“ reason  to  believe  that  Mongolia  will  not  always  con- 
“tinue  a sea  of  grass.” 

It  is  possible  to  suppose  that  since  the  Mongols  have 
proven  in  the  past  incapable  of  becoming  agriculturists, 
the  patient,  labor  loving,  agricultural  Chinese  will  invade 
this  region,  and  gradually  push  the  Mongols  back  toward 
the  desert.  I presume  that  they  will  do  so,  but  the  length 
of  time  which  will  be  consumed  in  the  process  will  not 
be  short.  I am  not  sure,  indeed,  that  the  prospect  is  not 
as  good  that  the  Mongols  will  become  agriculturists  as 
that  the  Chinese  will  dispossess  them  by  means  of  agri- 
culture from  the  broad  plains  which  they  have  so  long 
held.  For  whatever  reason  the  Mongols  seem  to  have 
lost  the  valor,  or  at  least  the  warlike  temper,  which 
characterized  them  when  Attila  styled  himself  “the 
“ terror  of  man  and  the  scourge  of  God  when  Genghis 


INNER  MONGOLIA. 


383 


subdued  China  and  the  whole  of  northern  Asia  ; and 
when  Tamerlane  carried  his  victorious  arms  to  the  Gan- 
ges. The  change,  if  one  of  fact  and  not  of  appearance 
only,  may  indicate  a disposition  to  take  up  with  a more 
settled  life.  However  this  may  be,  there  is  now  nothing 
to  prevent  the  Chinese  from  passing  over  the  border  into 
the  grass  region,  and  by  a natural  extension  of  their  in- 
dustries making  there  homes  and  communities  like  those 
which  they  leave.  It  would  be  idle  to  attempt  to  esti- 
mate, with  any  exactness,  the  population  of  Inner  Mon- 
golia, or  to  compute  the  numbers  of  the  Chinese  who  are 
resident  there.  The  opinion  of  Dr.  Edkins,  reaffirmed 
by  Dr.  Williamson,  is  tjjat  the  Mongols  maybe  taken  at 
about  10,000,000,  but  neither  one  nor  the  other  make  any 
calculation  of  the  Chinese.  My  own  conversations  with 
various  travelers  in  that  region,  and  examinations  of  the 
statements  of  those  who  have  written  about  it,  lead  me 
to  believe  that  not  so  much  as  one  per  cent,  of  the  lands 
of  Mongolia  have  been  taken  up  yet  by  the  Chinese. 

It  would  be  idle  to  pursue  further  the  evidence  in  re- 
gard to  the  outward  movements  of  the  Chinese  into  the 
surrounding  districts  belonging  to  them,  or  inhabited 
by  races  of  more  or  less  affinity  with  them,  in  order  to 
demonstrate  the  proposition  that  they  are  not  aggressive 
nor  migratory.  The  facts  indicate  conclusively  that  the 
“incalculable  hordes”  of  China  have  rested  very  con- 
tentedly within  their  own  borders  for  the  last  one  hun- 
dred years. 

One  has  need  to  take  these  broad  views  in  order  to 
estimate  the  nature  of  the  movements  of  the  Chinese 
toward  our  shores.  There  are  three  hundred  millions  of 
Chinese.  What  have  been  their  achievements  during 
the  last  century  1 Have  they  fought  a single  battle  in 
that  time  on  foreign  soil Have  they  annexed  or  over- 
run any  new  district  ? Have  they  planted  any  great 


384 


THE  IMMOBILITY  OF  THE  CHINESE. 


colonies  ? That  they  have  sent  abroad  many  of  their 
people  may  be  admitted.  That  these  have  proven  them- 
selves, invariably,  far  superior  to  any  of  their  neighbors 
is  quite  true.  Their  movements  would,  indeed,  attract 
great  attention  if  they  were  those  of  a less  numerous  race. 
If  China  numbered  twenty-five  or  fifty  millions  only, 
they  would  be  worth  speaking  of  and  inquiring  into. 
But  it  is  three  hundred  millions  of  people  who  have  done 
so  much  and  no  more.  If  they  had  martial  spirit  they 
would  have  carried  their  arms  long  since,  as  did  their 
Mongol  neighbors,  to  the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  and 
to  the  Persian  Gulf.  If  they  had  commercial  genius, 
their  fleets  would  have  sought  the  coasts  of  Europe  and 
America,  to  offer  to  us  their  products  and  to  take  up 
ours  in  return.  If  they  had  mechanical  genius  they  would 
construct  mills  and  workshops,  and  flood  the  world  with 
their  manufactures. 

I do  not  deny  to  the  Chinaman  the  capacity  for  war, 
for  commerce,  and  for  mechanics.  Long  acquaintance 
with  the  race  has  setved  to  convince  me  that  their  capa- 
cities are  so  high  that  the  white  man  and  Chinaman  may 
very  well  look  one  another  in  the  face  recognizing  that 
they  are  brothers,  endowed  by  a common  Creator,  and 
with  a common  destiny.  But,  at  the  moment,  there  are 
failures  in  their  ethics  and  education,  in  their  polity  and 
organization,  which  hold  them  back  as  individuals  and 
as  a nation,  and  which,  as  the  result  of  many  centuries 
of  unquestioned  acquiescence,  have  developed  traits  of 
character  that  cannot  be  thrown  off  readily. 

It  will  not  be  amiss  to  call  attention  here  to  the  stolid 
indifference  of  the  Chinese  to  their  surroundings  as  shown 
by  facts  attending  the  famine  of  1876—78,  in  the  northern 
provinces  of  the  empire. 

It  is  believed  that  in  this  terrible  visitation  of  Provi- 
dence, a district  embracing  a population  of  sixty  millions 


THEIR  INDIFFERENCE  TO  SUFFERING. 


385 


of  people,  was  more  or  less  affected  by  distress  conse- 
quent upon  total  or  partial  failures  of  the  crops.  All  of 
the  province  of  Shansi,  and  portions  of  Chihli,  Shan- 
tung, Shensi,  Honan  and  Sechuan  were  in  a state  of  dis- 
tress. Not  less  than  five  millions  perished  from  starv- 
ation. 

During  the  three  years  of  this  famine  I was  resident 
at  Peking.  The  crops  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
were  not  good,  but  they  were  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  ^ 
the  people.  Not  more  than  one  hundred  miles  distant, 
however,  was  the  edge  of  the  famine  district,  and  its 
worst  places  were  not  more  than  three  to  five  hundred 
miles  distant.  One  would  have  supposed  that,  under 
such  circumstances,  the  people  affected,  as  day  after  day 
the  extent  of  the  affliction  became  m.ore  apparent  and 
the  certainty  of  their  doom  became  more  appalling, 
would  have  moved  out  into  the  surrounding  fruitful  dis- 
tricts, and  that  many  refugees  would  have  pressed  in 
upon  the  great  cities  accessible  to  them,  where  they 
might  expect  to  procure  relief  Perhaps  fifty  thousand 
of  them  did  enter  Peking,  and  twice  that  number  the 
city  of  Tientsin,  which  was  nearer  to  the  scene  of  a part 
of  the  desolation.  Some  few  thousands  were  found  also 
in  other  cities  to  which  foreigners  resort,  as  at  Nankin 
and  Chinkiang  upon  the  Yangtsze,  and  Shanghae. 

It  is  of  course  true  that  if  a famine  should  occur  in 
Europe  or  our  own  country,  an  effort  more  or  less  com- 
mensurate with  the  extent  of  the  distress  would  be  made 
to  feed  the  starving  in  their  own  homes.  But  it  is  no 
easy  matter  to  feed  fifty  millions  of  people,  or  thirty 
millions,  or  ten,  or  five  millions.  To  feed  the  starving 
in  the  given  case  was  more  than  ordinarily  difficult  for 
the  reason  that  a large  portion  of  the  famine  districts 
was  inaccessible  by  water  communication  and  the  land 
carriage  had  to  be  made  by  pack  animals  thqt  would 


Y 


2SG 


THEIR  AVERSION  TO  MIGRATION. 


consume  in  their  journeys  almost  as  much  grain  as  they 
could  carry.  The  only  alternatives  which  remained  to 
these  people  were  those  of  perishing  upon  their  own 
hearth  stones  or  of  moving  away  to  the  better  districts,  _ 
taking  the  chances  of  finding  relief.  With  such  alter- 
natives staring  in  the  face  an  immense  mass  of  people  of 
our  stock,  an  exodus  from  the  afflicted  region  would 
have  taken  place  which  would  have  been  felt  far  and 
wide.  Every  highway  and  by-way  would  have  been  | 
crowded  with  refugees.  Every  city  and  town  beyond  j 
the  famine  limits  would  have  been  filled  by  them.  But  1 
no  such  thing  occurred  in  China.  The  people  submitted  1 
to  their  terrible  fate,  as  if  there  was  no  possible  hope  in  | 
an  outward  movement.  They  perished  often  in  their 
own  homes,  one  after  the  other,  as  strength  failed,  and 
they  lay  there  unburied,  a prey  to  whatever  four  footed  j 
beasts  or  birds  of  the  air  chose  to  feed  upon  them. 

It  is  idle  to  call  such  a people  aggressive  or  migatory. 
They  would  have  poured  out  long  since  from  the  region 
of  affliction  into  safer  districts,  if  they  had  been  so,  those 
going  improving  their  own  opportunities,  and  the  oppor- 
tunities of  those  left  behind.  It  is  idle  to  call  them  an 
enterprising  people,  in  one  sense,  for  if  they  had  been, 
they  would  have  established  the  means  of  communica- 
tion with  other  districts,  of  supplying  their  wants  in  times 
of  distress,  and  of  fleeing  from  them.  Look  at  the  ques- 
tion as  one  will,  there  is  no  escape  from  the  conclusion 
that  whether  as  a result  of  stolid  indifference,  or  of  pre- 
judice, of  religious  training,  or  whatever  other  influences 
may  affect  them,  the  Chinese  are  not  given  to  leaving 
their  proper  homes.  It  is  as  idle  to  argue  that  because 
they  are  three  hundred  millions  they  will  overrun  the 
world,  or  any  given  part  of  it  beyond  the  seas,  as  that 
the  great  ocean  itself  will  pour  its  waters  upon  the  dis- 
tricts which  surround  it  and  overlook  it. 


PART  IV.— CHAPTER  VI. 


FEARS  OF  AN  OVERFLOWING  IMMIGRATION  OF.  THE 
CHINESE.  THE  QUESTION  OF  THEIR  DISPO- 
SITON  TO  EMIGRATE  CONTINUED. 

The  facts  in  regard  to  the  more  distant  emigrations  of  the  Chinese.  The 
southern  Chinese  more  active  than  those  of  the  north.  Their  more 
distant  emigrations  have  been  to  countries  under  European  domination. 
A new  element  brought  into  play.  The  inducements  held  out  by  the 
more  enterprising  races.  History  gives  no  instance  of  a spontaneous 
movement  of  an  inferior  race  into  districts  occupied  by  a superior. 
Tire  native  races  in  the  Asiatic  colonial  possessions  of  Europe,  inferior 
to  the  Chinese.  The  Chinese  in  the  Spanish  Philippine  possessions. 
Those  in  the  Netherlands  possessions.  Those  in  the  British  posses- 
sions near  the  straits  of  Malacca.  Active  assistance  given  to  the 
Chinese  immigration  into  those  districts.  Control  of  the  Chinese  at 
Singapore.  Secret  societies.  Chinese  members  of  the  colonial  govern- 
ment. The  Chinese  in  Labuan.  The  French  possessions  in  Cochin 
China. 

I dealt  in  the  last  chapter  with  the  facts  bearing  upon 
the  disposition  of  the  Chinese  to  move  out  from  their 
immediate  homes,  exhibited  in  their  migrations  to  the 
outlying  districts  belonging  to  them,  or  to  the  petty  states 
bordering  upon  the  territories  of  the  empire. 

It  will  have  surprised  persons  who  have  not  directed 
their  attention  to  the  subject  to  find  that  a nation  of 
three  hundred  millions  of  people  have  passed  so  little  out 
of  their  own  proper  habitat  into  the  districts  immediately 
surrounding  it. 

The  facts  now  to  be  adduced  relate  to  their  more 
distant  migrations. 

It  should  be  said  at  the  outset,  that  I am  not  attempt- 
ing here  to  write  a history  of  Chinese  migrations,  nor  to 


388 


MORE  DISTANT  MIGRATIONS 


enter  into  circumstantial  details  about  them.  My  only 
purpose  is  to  illustrate  the  proposition  which  I enunci- 
ated in  the  last  chapter,  that  the  Chinese  are  not  ag- 
gressive nor  migratory.  It  would  be  unnecessaryin  dealing 
with  this  proposition,  to  go  far  back  in  the  history  of  the 
Chinese,  for  they  may  have  changed  their  habits  in  recent 
times,  and  it  is  the  habits  of  the  immediate  period,  and 
of  the  last  hundred  years  with  which  we  are  concerned. 

I may  say,  however,  in  a general  way,  that  the  people 
of  south  China  have  always  been  more  active  in  foreign 
enterprise  than  those  of  the  central  and  northren  parts 
of  the  empire  ; that  the  former  are  less  purely  Chinese 
in  stock,  and  mental  bent  than  their  brothers  of  the  north, 
and  that  there  is  reason  to  believe,  that  they  have  lost 
some  part  of  their  wandering  tendencies  with  the  more 
perfect  spread  of  northern  influences,  and  their  own  more 
perfect  amalgamation  with  the  northern  stock. 

It  would  be  very  interesting,  indeed,  in  this  view  of  the 
subject,  to  consider  the  outgoings  of  the  southern  Chi- 
nese one,  two,  three  or  more  centuries  ago,  and  I am  not 
unmindful  of  the  fact  that  their  earlier  history  in  this 
respect  would  not  be  devoid  of  significance  in  our  present 
inquiry.  It  is  too  remote,  however,  to  be  dealt  with  at 
the  moment,  and  I have  not  the  space  nor  the  time  to 
devote  to  the  inquiry. 

The  migrations  of  the  Chinese  to  other  regions  than 
those  I have  described  in  the  last  chapter,  are  confined 
practically  to  districts  which  have  been  subjected  to 
European  domination.  These  include  the  French  terri- 
tories in  Cochin  China,  the  Spanish  Philippine  posses- 
sions, the  English  colony  of  Singapore,  the  Netherlands 
East  Indian  dominions,  Australia,  Peru  and  Cuba. 

It  is  manifest  that  a new  element  is  brought  into  play 
when  we  consider  the  emigration  of  the  Chinese  to  coun- 
tries which  are  under  European  control.  If  such  a 


TO  COUNTRIES  DOMINA TED  B Y EUROPEANS.  389 


country  is  occupied  by  people  native  to  the  soil,  as  is  the 
case  in  the  Philippines,  French  Cochin  China,  Singapore 
and  the  Straits  settlements,  and  the  Netherlands  Indian 
dominions,  all  of  which  are  ruled  by  white  men,  the  Chi- 
nese may  be  imported  to  supply  an  additional  labor  ele- 
ment, or  they  may  be  encouraged  ,to  come,  in  order  to 
enter  upon  enterprises  and  industries  which  are  fostered 
or  created  by  the  dominating  race.  If  the  given  coun- 
try or  district,  again,  is  thinly  populated,  and  laborers 
are  in  demand,  as  in  California,  Australia,  Peru  and 
Cuba,  they  may  be  imported  to  supply  the  demand,  or 
if  not  imported  encouraged  by  the  opportunities  pre- 
sented to  them  there,  to  flow  in  and  take  part  in  the  in- 
dustries which  are  being  carried  on. 

In  either  of  these  cases  the  way  is  made  easier  for 
emigrants,  and  a diflerent  result  may  be  expected  from 
that  which  is  found  when  the  emigrants  have  to  pour 
out  as  pioneers  to  occupy  lands  where  the  stimulus  of 
the  presence  of  a more  enterprising  race  is  not  felt,  where 
there  may  be  less  safety  for  persons  and  property,  and 
where  the  influence  of  antagonism  is  not  checked  by 
more  settled  conditions  of  government. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  enforce  this  statement  by  argu- 
nlent  or  by  reference  to  the  instances  presented  in  his- 
tory. One  notable  but  extreme  case  may  be  quoted. 
We  have  a population  of  four  millions  of  Negroes.  These 
men  are  the  descendants  of  an  imported  stpck,  and  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  not  one  of  their  progenitors  found  his 
way  to  America  of  his  own  motion.  They  were  all  im- 
ported in  order  to  satisfy  a demand  for  labor  which  had 
been  brought  into  existence  by  the  recent  occupation  of 
a virgin  region  by  our  people. 

This  instance  gives,  as  a result,  the  existence  upon  our 
soil  of  a large  num,ber  of  persons  who,  as  may  be  said 
without  offence,  were  inferior  to  our  own  people  at  the 


390 


INFERIOR  RACES  DO  NOT 


moment  of  their  introduction,  and  who,  whatever  their 
future  may  be,  still  remain  a less  active  and  ambitious 
class  than  ourselves. 

But  if  we  should  seek  for  instances  of  the  immigra- 
tions of  a less  vigorous  race  into  territories  occupied  by 
a superior  race,  which  immigrations  were  due  to  the 
unaided  movements  of  the  incoming  class,  I believe  that 
history  would  not  reward  our  search.  In  all  ages  slavery 
has  been  known.  In  all  ages  dominating  races  have 
used  inferior  races  to  advance  their  purposes.  But  the 
spontaneous  outward  movement  of  a less  vigorous  peo- 
ple for  the  purpose  of  winning  bread  in  lands  not  only 
controlled  but  occupied  by  a more  vigorous  race  has  not 
been  witnessed  in  any  quarter  of  the  globe  where  politi- 
cal and  industrial  conditions  have  been  normal.  We 
have  seen  in  our  own  day  the  Chinese  moving  out  spon- 
taneously into  districts  owned  by  the  white  man,  but  this 
has  only  occurred  where  the  masses  of  the  local  popula- 
tion are  Asiatic,  or  where  the  population  is  insufficient  to 
meet  the  ordinary  demands  for  labor. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  view  of  the  question  thus  indi- 
cated should  be  full  of  consolation  to  Anti-Chinese  par- 
tisans. The  homes  of  the  less  vigorous  stocks  have  been 
Asia,  Africa  and  America.  None  of  the  races  of  either 
of  these  continents,  within  their  historical  periods,  have 
made  any  industrial  inroads  upon  Europe,  and  scarcely 
any  warlike  invasion.  Asia  remains  to-day  practically 
Asiatic,  save  where  European  domination  extends.  Africa 
remains  African,  and  the  American  continents  are  the 
confirmed  inheritance  of  Europe.  Speculations  may  be 
indulged  in  as  to  what  may  occur  hereafter,  but  the  ex- 
periences of  the  past  are  certain,  and  there  has  never 
been  a moment  in  the  history  of  the  world  when  the  su- 
premacy of  the  Caucasian  has  been  more  positive  than 
it  is  now. 


INVADE  THE  TERRITORIES  OF  THE  SUPERIOR.  391 


The  facts  and  considerations  which  I have  set  forth 
in  earlier  chapters  in  regard  to  the  prospects  of  the  Chi- 
nese in  California,  do  not  seem  to  me  to  point  to  a differ- 
ent result  there.  Their  immigration  is  an  incident,  an 
episode  only.  The  facts  and  considerations  to  be  ad- 
vanced now  in  regard  to  their  emigrations  to  other  dis- 
tricts controlled  by  members  of  the  Caucasian  race,  will 
confirm  this  conclusion. 

I shall  deal  very  briefly  with  the  movements  of  the 
Chinese  to  the  European  colonial  possessions  bordering 
upon  the  Asiatic  continent,  for  the  reason  that  they  are 
not  at  most  of  great  significance  for  us.  The  people  of 
the  several  districts  in  question  are  less  vigorous  than  the 
Chinese,  and  it  has  been  natural  that  the  latter  whether 
as  the  result  of  direct  inducements  held  out  to  them  by 
the  governments  concerned,  or  of  those  extended  by 
members  of  the  ruling  classes,  should  go  thither.  But 
even  under  these  circumstances,  the  facts  sustain  the  gen- 
eral proposition  which  I have  advanced  that  the  Chinese 
are  not  migratory. 

The  number  of  the  Chinese  in  the  Spanish  Philippine 
possessions  is  small.  Yagor  says  that  in  1867  the  entire 
Chinese  population  was  about  18,000.  I have  no  doubt 
that  it  would  have  been  far  greater  if  more  liberality  had 
been  exhibited  toward  them.  Two  centuries  ago  many 
thousands  of  them  were  killed  in  different  massacres, 
and  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to  keep  down  their 
numbers  by  extreme  measures,  which  could  not  be 
justified  even  by  the  weakness  of  the  Spanish  rule,  and 
the  vigor  shown  by  the  Chinese.  The  repressive  meas- 
ures then  taken  have  been  succeeded  by  others,  which, 
while  more  regular,  have  not  been  less  effective.  Dis- 
criminating taxes  have  been  laid  upon  them  which  so 
far  handicap  their  struggles  in  the  different  fields  of  com- 
petition that  they  find  but  little  inducement  to  place 


392 


THE  SPANISH  POSSESSIONS. 


themselves  under  Spanish  protection.  It  is  difficult  to 
decide  how  far  these  taxes  are  imposed  with  a view  to 
discourag-e  immigration,  and  how  far  the  Spanish  are 
controlled  merely  by  the  desire  to  realize  revenue  from 
every  quarter  from  whence  it  may  be  drawn. 

The  Netherlands  possessions  have  afforded  to  the  Chi- 
nese very  different  opportunities.  No  colonists  are  so 
successful  as  the  Dutch  in  realizing  large  pecuniary  re- 
sults from  their  enterprises  of  this  sort,  and  in  retaining 
at  the  same  time  the  good  will  of  the  subordinate  popu- 
lations. They  have  encouraged  the  influx  of  the  Chinese 
almost  uniformly,  and  they  have  accorded  to  them  some 
exceptional  privileges  as  residents,  such  as  the  right  to 
acquire  landed  possessions,  and  to  control  their  own  so- 
cieties in  great  part.  They  have  a well  selected  and  care- 
fully educated  corps  of  interpreters  and  of  officials, 
charged  with  the  more  immediate  supervision  of  the  Chi- 
nese. Some  of  these  I have  known  personally,  and  they 
were  uniformly  men  of  high  education  and  general  qual- 
ifications. 

The  island  of  Java  contained  in  1871,  181,732  persons 
who  were  classed  as  Chinese.  The  Dutch  possessions  in 
Borneo  had  about  50,000 ; those  in  Sumatra,  30,000 ; 
Banka  and  Biliton  about  18,000;  the  islands  of  the  Rio- 
Liuga  archipelago,  25,000,  and  the  rest  of  the  archipel- 
ago,  perhaps  5,000.  This  would  give  an  entire  Chinese 
population  in  the  districts  named  of  310,000.  In  this 
number  perhaps  something  less  than  one-third  were  men 
who  were  either  born  in  China,  or  who,  if  born  in  the 
region  of  their  domicile,  were  of  pure  blood,  or  remained 
attached  to  the  Chinese  element  because  of  their  pater- 
nity and  the  affiliations  to  which  it  gave  rise.  The  oth- 
ers were  women  and  children  of  more  or  less  mixed  Ma- 
lay and  Chinese  blood. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  larger  part  of  this  population 


THE  NETHERLANDS  POSSESSIONS. 


393 


is  In  Java.  The  estimate  of  181,732  follows  simply  the 
Dutch  census  of  1871.  The  earlier  censuses  gave  the 
following  results 1856,  135,649;  1845,  105,983;  1838, 
100,987.  This  amounted,  in  1871,  to  one  per  cent,  of 
the  entire  population.  The  population  of  1856  consisted 
of  men,  29  per  cent.;  of  women,  28  per  cent.;  and  of 
children,  43  per  cent. ; the  women  and  children  and  some 
part  of  the  men  being  of  mixed  blood. 

The  possessions  of  the  Netherlands  are  distant  from 
Canton,  for  steaming  vessels,  not  more  than  from  eight 
to  ten  days  ; for  sailing  vessels,  in  the  favorable  mon- 
soons, not  more  than  from  ten  to  twenty  days.  They 
are,  therefore,  very  accessible  to  the  Chinese.  The 
Chinese  are  described  as  uniformly  far  superior  to  the 
natives,  intellectually  and  physically.  They  are  enabled 
to  buy  lands.  In  1856,  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  lands  be- 
longing to  private  individuals  in  Java  were  in  the  hands 
of  Europeans,  and  eighteen  per  cent.  Chinese  owned. 
They  find  some  industries  which  are  peculiarly  their  own, 
such  as  tea  planting  and  fruit  culture.  They  are  very 
much  employed  by  the  government  and  by  individuals 
as  overseers  of  the  native  field  hands.  They  are  in  great 
demand  in  the  tin  mines' of  Banka  and  Billiton,  and  in 
the  gold  mines  and  the  search  for  precious  stones  in 
Borneo.  They  deal  largely  in  certain  exports  to  China, 
peculiar  to  those  regions,  as  trepang,  birds’  nests,  &c. 

In  view'of  all  the  attractions  indicated,  the  fact  that  they 
do  not  exceed  100,000  men  in  the  Dutch  possessions, 
affords  a very  pertinent  commentary  upon  the  question 
of  their  disposition  to  leave  their  native  country.  The 
Dutch  occupations  of  Java  and  of  New  York  were  con- 
temporaneous. It  is  a long  period  in  history  which  has 
intervened.  There  were  Chinese  in  Java  when  the  Dutch 
acquired  their  foothold.  They  were  feared  and  hated 
by  the  natives,  they  were  distrusted  by  the  Dutch  for  a 


394 


SINGAPORE. 


season,  but  soon  came  to  be  appreciated  and  encouraged. 
While  Europeans  have  changed  the  face  of  America,  the 
Chinese,  in  this  fairest  of  all  the  lands  of  the  Orient,  have 
made  a lodgment  merely.  They  have  not  “ Mongolian- 
“ ized  ” Java.  They  are  there  as  diligent  traders  and 
patient  workers,  docile  and  faithful  in  all  the  relations  of 
life,  appreciative  of  good  government,  and  a source  of 
strength  to  the  government. 

The  British  colony  of  Singapore,  and  the  neighboring 
British  colonies  of  Pulo  Penang  and  Malacca,  have  been 
the  scene  of  much  activity  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese. 

The  town  of  Singapore  is  situated  upon  an  island  of 
the  same  name.  The  town  and  island  were  taken  pos- 
session of  in  1819.  At  that  time  the  English  found  there 
a sparse  population  of  Malays,  who  were  mostly  pirates. 
The  town  became  at  once  a center  of  trading  interests. 
In  point  of  fact,  its  situation  is  a rarely  favorable  one. 
Every  steam  vessel  which  passes  from  Burmah,  British 
India,  and  Europe,  toward  the  eastern  portion  of  Asia, 
the  Malay,  and  Philippine  archipelagos,  and  Japan, 
takes  the  route  by  the  Straits  of  Malacca  and  the  colony 
of  Singapore.  It  is  a way-station,  therefore,  of  great  im- 
portance, and  its  central  position,  as  respects  Farther 
India,  and  the  Malay  and  Philippine  archipelagos,  give 
it  importance  as  an  emporium  of  trade  for  those  regions. 

In  1827  the  population  of  the  town  and  island  was 
14,000,  of  which  the  Chinese  numbered  6,000  ; in  1836  it 
had  mounted  to  30,000,  of  which  the  Chinese  were  13,- 
749  ; in  1849,  59,043,  Chinese  27,998  ; in  1859,  81,792,  of 
which  50,043  were  Chinese;  in  1871,  97,111,  Chinese 
54,572.  The  European  population  in  1849  was  360;  in 
1859,  430;  in  1871,  1,946. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  Chinese  in  this  virgin  region 
have  proven  the  most  satisfactory  settlers  under  the 
British  rule.  The  English  would  have  encouraged  the  in- 


CONTRACT  SYSTEM  IN  SINGAPORE. 


395 


flux  of  any  class  likely  to  prove  useful.  They  had  the. 
neighboring  mainlands  and  islands,  and  not  least,  their 
own  Indian  empire,  from  which  to  draw  laborers  and  set- 
tlers, but  it  was  the  Chinamen  who  were  found  most 

« 

available  and  most  satisfactory. 

The  latter  came  at  first  largely  as  agricultural  laborers, 
but  as  the  lands  of  the  island  became  exhausted,  and  as 
trade  increased,  the  tendency  on  their  part  has  been  to 
abandon  such  work  and  to  enter  upon  trade  in  the  city. 
Nine-tenths  of  the  traders  in  Singapore  are  now  Chinese, 
and  it  is  said  that  no  vessels  from  the  islands  reach 
Singapore  which  are  not  boarded  by  them  as  they  ap- 
proach, and  that  all  the  products  of  the  Malay  archipelago 
which  are  brought  to  Singapore  for  sale  pass  through 
their  hands.  Their  merchants  are  not  only  esteemed  upon 
change  as  they  are  in  San  Francisco,  but  they  may  be 
met  at  the  council  board  of  the  colonial  government,  and 
in  the  social  entertainments  of  the  city. 

Owing  to  its  central  situation,  many  of  the  Chinese 
who  go  there  as  emigrants  from  their  native  land,  are  dis- 
tributed from  thence  to  the  neighboring  settlements  of 
the  English  and  of  the  Dutch.  It  is  said  that  as  many 
as  1 5,000  frequently  arrive  in  the  course  of  a single  year. 

This  movement  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  is  spon- 
taneous in  one  sense,  but  it  is  actively  assisted  and 
encouraged  by  native  agents,  and  by  dispositions  made 
by  the  authorities  of  Singapore.  Bands  of  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  men  are  gathered  in  different  parts  of  the 
province  of  Kwangtung  by  these  agents,  who  advance,  if 
necessary,  the  money  needed  to  pay  for  their  outfits  and 
passages,  and  who  are  reimbursed  at  Singapore  for  these 
advances,  and  in  addition  receive  a commission  in  pay- 
ment for  their  own  expenditures  and  their  assistance. 
Upon  arriving  in  Singapore,  the  passengers  are  allowed 
to  enter  into  contracts  with  planters,  or  with  other  agents 


396 


PROTECTION  OF  CHINESE. 


who  take  them  to  more  distant  points,  and  the  original 
agents  are  reimbursed  by  the  planters  or  by  these  latter 
agents.  If  arrangements  are  not  voluntarily  entered  into 
at  once,  and  without  the  intervention  of  the  colonial 
authorities,  the  passengers  are  removed  to  houses  provided 
for  the  purpose,  where  their  wants  are  carefully  attended 
to,  and  they  remain  in  these  until  employers  are  found 
who  will  satisfy  the  claims  against  them,  and  with  whom 
they  are  prepared  to  contract  for  their  labor. 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  system  of  dealing  with  immi- 
grants is  entirely  different  from  our  own.  Our  policy 
has  been  to  discourage  contract  immigration,  that  of  the 
colony  of  Singapore  to  encourage  it.  The  colonial 
authorities  recognize  perfectly  the  fact,  that  Chinese  labor 
becomes  in  a sense  servile  under  these  circumstances,  but 
they  found  the  advance  system  existing,  that  the  sums 
advanced  were  very  small,  usually  not  exceeding  twenty 
dollars,  and  they  thought  it  wiser  to  take  the  business 
under  their  own  surveillance  in  the  interest  of  the  laborers 
and  of  the  employing  class,  than  to  let  it  pass  unnoticed. 

The  duty  of  managing  these  houses  for  the  detention 
of  immigrants  who  arrive  in  debt,  is  committed  to  an 
officer  who  is  called  the  protector  of  the  Chinese,  and 
whose  general  work  and  that  of  his  associates,  is  to  make 
themselves  in  all  ways  familiar  with  the  wants  of  the 
Chinese  in  Singapore,  to  teach  them  to  rely  upon  the 
government  rather  than  upon  their  various  societies  and 
organizations  for  protection,  and  to  act  generally  as  medi- 
ators between  them  and  the  government.  The  need 
of  such  a bureau  was  recognized  long  since.  I find  in 
Mr.  Laurence  Olyphant’s  report  of  Lord  Elgin’s  Mis- 
sion to  China  and  Japan,  written  in  1857  or  1858,  the  fol- 
lowing remarks,  which  are  pertinent  to  our  general  subject 
as  well  as  to  the  history  of  Chinese  immigration  to  the 
immediate  district ; — ^ 

' Lord  Elgin’s  Mission,  p.  29. 


IN  SINGAPORE. 


397 


“ There  is  a population  of  70,000  Chinese  in  Singapore 
“ and  not  a single  European  who  understands  their  lan- 
“■guage.  The  consequence  is,  that  in  the  absence  of  any 
“ competent  interpreter,  they  are  generally  ignorant  of 
“ the  designs  of  government  and  are  apt  to  place  them- 
“ selves  in  an  antagonistic  attitude  whenever  laws  are 
“passed  affecting  their  peculiar  customs.  No  effort  is 
“ made  to  overcome  a certain  exclusiveness  arising 
“ hence ; and  this  is  fostered  by  the  secret  societies, 
“which  exercise  an  important  moral  influence  upon  the 
“ minds  of  all,  but  more  particularly  the  ignorant  por- 
“tionofthe  population.  Were  Chinese  themselves  put 
“ into  positions  of  authority  under  government,  and  al- 
“ lowed  to  share  to  some  extent  in  the  responsibilities 
“ and  duties  of  British  citizens,  which,  intellectually  con- 
“sidered,  they  are  quite  competent  to  undertake,  the 
“ barrier  which  now  exists  between  the  two  races  would 
“ be  partially  removed  and  the  natural  distrust  and  sus- 
“picion  engendered  by  our  present  system  would,  in 
“all  probability,  quckily  disappear.  Nor  is  this  mere 
“speculation.  We  have  fortunately  in  their  own  em- 
“ pire  a perpetual  proof  before  our  eyes  of  that  rever- 
“ence  for  authority,  when  judiciously  enforced,  which  is 
“ one  of  their  chief  characteristics,  and  which  has  for  so 
“ many  centuries  been  the  preservation  of  its  union,  and 
“ one  great  source  of  its  prosperity.  That  the  most  ac- 
“ tive,  industrious  and  enterprising  race  in  the  Eastern 
“ world  should  be  regarded  as  a source  of  weakness 
“rather  than  of  strength  to  a community,  implies, 

"facie,  a certain  degree  of  mismanagement.” 

The  views  thus  expressed  in  regard  to  the  carelessness 
of  the  government  in  the  matter  of  interpreters  appears 
to  have  been  remedied  later  on,  for  I find  in  a report 
made  to  the  governor  of  the  colony  in  September,  1876, 
by  the  colonial  secretary,  the  colonial  treasurer  and  the 


398 


RESULTS  REACHED  AT  SINGAPORE. 


inspector  general  of  police,  who  had  been  appointed  a 
committee  to  take  evidence  and  report  “ upon  the  condi- 
“ tion  of  Chinese  in  the  colony  and  whether  any  legislation 
“ is  needed  for  their  protection  and  control,”  a statement 
that  the  colony  then  possessed  two  competent  interpre- 
ters. The  commissioners  were  not  content  with  this, 
however,  and  their  first  recommendation  was  “ that  Pro- 
“ tectors  of  Chinese  be  appointed  in  Singapore  and  Pe- 
“ nang,  (probably  later  on  in  Malacca,)  who  should  be 
“ European  gentlemen  conversant  with  the  Chinese  dia- 
“ lects,  and  that  they  should  be  assisted  by  respectable 
“ Chinamen,  belonging  to  the  different  provincialists  who 
“ resort  here.” 

This  advice  was  acted  upon  promptly  and  on  the  23d 
of  the  same  month  a colonial  ordinance  was  passed,  pro- 
viding, among  other  things,  that  ; — “ It  shall  be  lawful  for 
“ the  Governor  to  appoint  at  each  or  any  of  the  settle- 
“ ments  a Protector  of  Chinese  Immigrants,  and  such 
“ number  of  Assistant  Protectors  and  other  officers  as 
“ may  be  necessary  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  this 
“ ordinance.” 

Since  that  date  the  protector,  appointed  for  the  Chi- 
nese of  Singapore,  has  made  regular  annual  reports  to 
the  colonial  government,  and  throughout  these  I find 
abundant  evidence  of  the  improvement  effected  among 
the  people  in  question.  The  subject  of  the  character  and 
influence  of  secret  societies  among  them  was  grappled 
with,  the  difference  between  certain  of  them  which  may 
be  styled  as  friendly  and  having  the  same  general  pur- 
poses as  the  six  companies  of  California,  and  others  which 
existed  for  nefarious  or  illegal  purposes,  like  the  Hip  Ye 
Tung  in  San  Francisco,  being  established  by  evidence,  and 
measures  taken  to  do  away  with  the  latter.  Attention 
was  also  given  with  good  results  to  the  importation  of 
prostitutes  and  to  other  special  evils. 


VATIVES  ADMITTED  TO  GOVERNMENT. 


399 


While  speaking  of  this  part  of  the  subject,  I may  allude 
to  the  fact  that  not  only  in  Singapore,  but  also  in  the 
British  colony  of  Labuan,  Chinese  have  been  invited  to 
act  as  members  of  the  colonial  council.  I have  known, 
personally,  one  of  the  Chinese  members  of  the  Singapore 
government,  and  can  confirm  the  universally  favorable 
way  in  which  he  has  been  spoken  of  throughout  the  East. 
And  not  only  is  this  true,  but  the  great  Indian  empire 
has  found  it  desirable  to  take  up  the  same  policy.  The 
Queen’s  viceroys,  acting  under  the  approval  of  the  Eng- 
lish government,  have  not  only  thrown  open  the  public 
services  to  natives  having  the  education  and  capacity  to 
be  so  employed,  but  in  the  lists  of  those  forming  the  coun- 
cils of  successive  viceroys,  will  be  found  the  names  of 
distinguished  native  gentlemen.  The  approval  of  these 
gentlemen  is  as  necessary  before  any  laws  or  regulations 
for  the  immense  masses  of  the  Indian  empire,  can  be 
enforced,  as  that  of  the  other  members  of  the  council. 

In  Penang,  Wellesley  and  Malacca,  other  districts  under 
the  Singapore  government,  there  were,  in  1871,  probably 
50,000  Chinese.  Labuan  has  also  a small  number  of 
Chinese  residents.  Taken  altogether,  their  numbers  in 
the  several  British  dependencies  named  exceed  100,000, 
and  may,  at  the  present  moment,  run  up  to  125,000. 
These,  taken  with  those  residents  in  the  Dutch  domin- 
ions, make  the  whole  number  in  the  Malay  archipelago 
and  the  Straits  settlements  not  much  more  than  400,000. 
There  are,  of  course,  some  Chinese  outside  of  the  districts 
under  the  control  of  the  Dutch  and  English,  but  their 
numbers  are  few,  and  there  is  no  estimate  of  them  which 
can  be  relied  upon. 

The  Erench  occupation  of  Cochin  China  is  of  recent 
date,  but  it  is  already  well  established,  and  it  bids  fair  to 
become  prominent  in  the  annals  of  European  conquests 
in  the  East.  There  is  no  more  fertile  region  in  the  world. 


400 


FRENCH  POSSESSIONS. 


as  we  have  seen,  than  Farther  India.  The  position  oc- 
cupied by  the  French  is  a commanding  one  for  the  whole 
district  between  the  China  sea,  the  gulf  of  Siam  and 
the  boundary  of  China.  The  French  are  certainly  good 
colonists,  although  they  have  been  unfortunate  in  losing 
all  the  colonies  which  they  have  founded  on  both  sides 
of  the  globe.  There  is  a prospect  that  they  will  succeed 
better,  however,  in  Farther  India,  and  that  they  will  gradu- 
ally extend  their  rule,  until  they  have  built  up  an  eastern 
empire  which  will  not  seem  insignificant  in  comparison 
even  with  that  of  England. 

The  number  of  Chinese  who  are  settled  in  French 
Cochin  China  is  not  yet  great,  but  it  increases  yearly. 
In  the  absence  of  detailed  information,  I shall  not  at- 
tempt to  estimate  their  actual  population. 


PART  IV.— CHAPTER  VII. 


FEARS  OF  AN  OVERFLOWING  IMMIGRATION  OF  TFIE 

CHINESE.  THE  QUESTION  OF  THEIR  DISPOSITION 
TO  EMIGRATE  CONTINUED. 

Emigration  to  Australia,  Peru  and  Cuba.  The  emigration  to  the  first  of 
these  deserves  especial  attention,  because  the  conditions  there  are  simi- 
' lar  to  those  in  California.  The  population  of  Australia.  The  num- 
ber of  Chinese  in  Australia.  Australian  immigration  tainted  by  the 
contract  system.  Proposed  regulations  for  contract  emigration.  Con- 
tract emigration  to  Singapore.  Contract  emigration  to  Australia. 
Share-system  among  the  Chinese.  The  contract  system  promotes 
emigration.  Difficulties  of  Chinese  miners  in  Australia.  Protection 
of  miners.  Earnings  in  mines.  Other  occupations.  Exclusion  from 
general  industries  and  the  causes.  Opportunities  in  California  and 
Australia  compared.  Remittances  to  China.  The  mercantile  class. 
Sanitary  regulations.  Women.  Arbitration  of  disputes.  Legislation 
against  the  Chinese.  Agitation.  Peru  and  Cuba.  No  voluntary  move- 
ment to  these  districts.  Commerce  in  laborers.  Atrocities  attending 
this  commerce.  Numbers  in  Peru  and  Cuba.  The  future  of  Chinese 
emigration  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  They  will  find  their  most  appro- 
priate theatre  in  their  own  hemisphere. 

I have  now  presented  the  salient  facts  in  regard  to  the 
outflow  of  the  Chinese  to  the  districts  immediately  sur- 
rounding them,  and  to  the  not  distant  dominions  of  Eu- 
ropean powers  in  the  Asiatic  quarter  of  the  globe.  It 
remains  to  speak  of  their  emigration  to  Australia,  Peru 
and  Cuba. 

Australia  is  the  only  one  of  these  regions  which  de- 
serves more  than  a passing  notice.  The  conditions  there, 
indeed,  present  so  many  points  of  resemblance  to  those 
in  California  that  it  is  worth  while  to  study  them  in  de- 
tail, as  well  as  in  a general  way.  It  is  an  immense  re- 
gion, a continent,  with  large  areas  of  fertile  lands,  an  ex- 

z 


402 


THE  CHINESE  IN  AUSTRALIA. 


cellent  climate,  and  great  mineral  wealth.  The  aborig- 
inal population  at  the  time  when  the  English  occupation 
began,  was  scanty  everywhere.  In  some  parts  it  was 
composed  of  an  inoffensive  and  degraded  people  who 
were  incapable  of  being  raised  to  an  appreciation  of  the 
ways  of  civilization  or  of  being  utilized  in  the  industries 
of  the  settlers;  other  parts  were  occupied  by  ferocious 
savages  with  all  the  traits  of  North  American  Indians. 

Into  this  region  settlers  from  different  sections  of  the 
British  islands  have  been  going  in  large  numbers  for 
the  last  thirty  years.  The  whole  population  in  1871  was 
divided  between  the  several  colonies  as  follows  ; — 


New  South  Wales 

Victoria 

South  Australia. . 

Queensland 

Western  Australia 
Northern  “ 


501,611 

729,868 

188,995 

115.567 

24,785 

201 


In  the  year  1854  attention  began  to  be  directed  to  the 
great  richness  of  the  alluvial  and  quartz  gold  mines  of 
certain  districts,  more  particularly  to  those  of  the  colony 
of  Victoria.  Reports  of  their  wealth  were  carried  at 
once  to  China,  as  had  been  the  case  already  in  the  in- 
stance of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  and  the 
Chinese  of  the  same  parts  of  the  empire  as  those  from 
which  the  immigrants  to  America  come,  began  another 
but  less  important  exodus  to  the  new  gold  hills,  as  they 
were  called  to  distinguish  them  from  those  of  California. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  detail  the  successive  stages  of 
this  emigration,  as  it  is  only  in  its  broader  aspects  that 
we  have  occasion  to  study  it.  It  has  proceeded  generally 
like  that  to  California,  at  intervals  moderating,  at  other 
moments  exhibiting  a magnitude  which  has  occasioned 
alarm.  We  find,  however,  that  at  the  end  of  1876  the 


CONTRACT  SYSTEM. 


403 


numbers  of  the  Chinese  in  the  several  districts  were  as 
follows  ; — ‘ 


Victoria 

New  South  Wales, 

Queensland 

New  Zealand  . . . . 
Other  colonies. . . , 


16.000 
6,000 

20.000 

6.000 

1.000 


49,000 

At  the  same  period  I have  estimated  the  number  of 
Chinese  in  the  United  States  at  about  100,000,  so  that 
their  number  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand  is  about 
half  that  of  those  in  our  country. 

I find  at  once  a radical  difference  in  the  character  of 
the  two  emigrations.  That  to  our  country,  as  I have 
already  demonstrated  has  been  free  and  voluntary  in  all 
respects,  but  that  to  Austrarlia  has  been  tainted  in  some 
degree  by  the  contract  system.  The  reason  for  this  is 
manifest.  So  long  ago  as  the  early  part  of  1862  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  freed  from  the  presence 
of  members  who  had  an  interest  in  maintaining  the  in- 
stitution of  slavery  upon  American  soil,  moved  by  the 
abhorrence  of  it  which  had  long  been  generating  through- 
out the  free  States,  by  the  great  struggle  with  its  uphold- 
ers in  the  South  who  had  precipitated  upon  the  country 
a civil  war  of  unparalleled  magnitude,  and  by  the  reports 
of  the  horrors  attending  the  exportation  of  coolies  to 
Peru  and  Cuba  and  their  employment  there,  passed  an 
Act  to  prevent  the  coolie-trade  so  called.  The  purpose 
and  scope  of  this  Act  are  sufficiently  indicated  in  sections 
2,158  and  2,162  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  the  United 
States ; — 

* For  many  of  the  facts  detailed  in  1877,  and  reported  his  observa- 
in  this  chapter,  I am  indebted  to  Mr.  tions  in  regard  to  the  Chinese  to  H. 
Dundas  Crawford,  of  H.  M.’s  con-  M.’s  minister  at  Peking, 
sular  service,  who  visited  Australia 


404 


UNITED  STATES  LEGISLATION 


“2158.  No  citizen  of  the  United  States,  or  foreigner 
“ coming  into  or  residing  within  the  same,  shall  for  him- 
“ self,  or  for  any  other  person,  either  as  master,  factor, 
“ owner,  or  otherwise,  build,  equip,  load  or  otherwise  pre- 
“ pare  any  vessel,  registered,  enrolled  or  licensed  in  the 
“ United  States,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  from  any 
“port  or  place  the  subjects  of  China,  Japan,  or  any  other 
“ Oriental  country,  known  as  ‘ coolies,’  to  be  transported 
“ to  any  foreign  port  or  place,  to  be  disposed  of,  or  sold, 
“ or  transferred,  for  any  time,  as  servants  or  apprentices, 
“ or  to  be  held  to  service  or  labor. 

“2162.  Nothing  herein  contained  shall  be  deemed  to 
“apply  to  any  voluntary  emigration  of  the  subjects  speci- 
“ fled  in  section  twenty-one  hundred  and  fifty-eight,  or 
“ to  any  vessel  carrying  such  person  as  passenger  on 
“ board  the  same,  but  a certificate  shall  be  prepared  and 
“signed  by  the  consul  or  consular  agent  of  the  United 
“ States  residing  at  the  port  from  which  such  vessel  may 
“ take  her  departure,  containing  the  name  of  such  per- 
“ son,  and  setting  forth  the  fact  of  his  voluntary  emigra- 
“ tion  from  such  port,  which  certificate  shall  be  given  to 
“ the  master  of  such  vessel ; and  the  same  shall  not  be 
“given  until  such  consul  or  consular  agent  is  first  per- 
“ sonally  satisfied  by  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  facts 
“ therein  contained.” 

It  will  be  noticed  that  this  law  provides  very  rigidly 
against  what  is  generally  called  contract-labor,  and  makes 
it  difficult  for  any  person  in  China  to  engage  Chinese  to 
labor  for  a period  in  America,  or  to  transport  them  hither 
under  an  engagement  that  they  shall  refund  their  passage 
money  by  service  rendered  for  a period  after  their  arrival. 

The  different  views  held  by  English  representatives  in 
China  is  indicated  by  the  fact,  that  in  1866,  the  British 
minister,  in  company  with  his  French  colleague,  prepared, 
and  procured  the  approval  of  the  Chinese  government 


REGULATIONS  FOR  EMIGRATION. 


405 


for,  a set  of  regulations  in  regard  to  contract  emigration. 
These  consisted  of  twenty-two  articles,  intended  to  as- 
sure regularity  and  fair  dealing  in  the  engagement  of 
Chinese  to  labor  in  foreign  districts.  The  nature  of  the 
engagements  proposed  is  exhibited  with  sufficient  fullness 
in  the  seventh  article,  which  is  as  follows : — 

'•  The  contracts  shall  specify  ; — 

“ 1st.  The  place  of  destination,  and  the  length  of  the 
“ engagement. 

“ 2d.  The  right  of  the  emigrant  to  be  conveyed  back 
“ to  his  own  country,  and  the  sum  which  shall  be  paid  at 
“ the  expiration  of  his  contract  to  cover  the  expenses  of 
“ his  voyage  home,  and  that  of  his  family,  should  they 
“accompany  him. 

“ 3d.  The  number  of  working  days  in  the  year,  and 
“ the  length  of  each  day’s  work. 

“4th.  The  wages,  rations,  clothing,  and  other  advan- 
“tages  promised  to  the  emigrant. 

“ 5th.  Gratuitous  medical  attendance. 

“ 6th.  The  sum  which  the  emigrant  agrees  to  set  aside 
“ out  of  his  monthly  wages  for  the  benefit  of  persons  to 
“ be  named  by  him,  should  he  desire  to  appropriate  any 
“sum  to  such  a purpose. 

“yth.  Copies  of  the  8th,  9th,  loth,  14th,  and  22d 
“Articles  of  these  Regulations.” 

These  regulations  were  based  upon  a set  of  rules  which 
had  been  in  force  under  local  sanction  for  several  years, 
and  affected  the  engagement  of  Chinese  at  Canton  to  go 
to  British  colonies. 

The  British  and  French  governments  did  not  approve 
the  proposed  regulations  but  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
has  enacted  any  general  law  such  as  our  own,  providing 


406 


ENGLISH  AND  AMERICAN 


for  the  examination  of  proposing  emigrants,  with  a view 
to  determine  whether  they  are  voluntary  emigrants  in 
the  broad  sense  of  our  law.  The  colony  of  Hong  Kong 
has  made  certain  regulations,  but  as  these  do  not  extend 
so  far  as  our  law,  and  are  not  supplemented  by  legislation 
in  the  colonies,  the  effect  intended  by  our  law  is  not  ob- 
tained. 

A commentary  on  this  condition  of  things  is  afforded, 
by  the  facts  cited  in  the  last  chapter  regarding  emigration 
to  Singapore.  The  act  creating  the  office  of  protector 
of  Chinese  has  been  so  amended,  that  he  is  not  at  liberty 
to  detain  a passenger  against  his  will,  in  order  to  force 
him  to  enter  into  a contract  by  which  he  may  provide 
for  a refund  of  advances  made  by  his  importer,  but  depots 
are  established  by  the  importers  at  Singapore  under 
license,  and  to  these  the  immigrants  are  generally  con- 
ducted upon  arrival.  Once  there,  the  protector  visits 
them  and  tells  them,  in  the  language  of  a report  made 
by  him  under  date  of  January  I2th,  1878,  “that  while 
“ no  coercion  or  fraud  wdll  be  permitted  against  them,  it 
“ is  only  reasonable  that,  in  return  for  passage  money 
“ and  maintenance,  they  should  be  willing  to  repay  to 
“ the  importer  a fair  remuneration.”  It  does  not  appear 
in  any  of  these  reports  that  the  importer  may  bring  suit 
to  recover  the  amount  of  his  advances  to  the  immigrant, 
and  may  imprison  the  debtor  to  enforce  payment,  but 
this  is  to  be  inferred  from  the  general  character  of  the 
legislation,  and  more  particularly  from  Section  9 of  Ordi- 
nance No.  Ill  of  1877,  which  is  as  follows  ; — 

“ Any  emigrant  who  shall  have  received  any  sum  of 
“ money  by  way  of  advance  on  a contract  to  labor  with- 
“ out  the  colony,  or  for  whom,  on  his  entering  into  a con- 
“ tract  to  labor  without  the  colony,  any  sum  of  money 
“ may  haye  lawfully  been  expended  by  a person  with 
“ whom  the  contract  is  made,  or  by  any  person  in  his  be- 


SyST£MS  COMPARED. 


407 


“half,  who  shall  not  leave  the  colony  in  terms  of  his 
“ contract,  shall  be  liable  on  conviction  to  a penalty  not. 
“exceeding  one  hundred  dollars,  or  to  imprisonment, 
“which  may  be  of  either  description,  for  any  period,  not 
“ exceeding  three  months.  Provided,  always  that  if  the 
“ intending  emigrant  shall  pay  back,  or  cause  to  be  paid 
“back,  to  the  person  with  whom  he  may  have  contracted, 
“ all  sums  lawfully  advanced  for  him,  and  all  expenses 
“ lawfully  incurred  for  him,  under  the  said  contract,  such 
“ intended  emigrant  shall  not  be  prosecuted  criminally 
“ under  this  section.” 

It  is  evident  that  the  results  which  would  follow  the 
two  systems,  the  American  and  English,  would  be  radi- 
ically  different.  No  American  citizen  would  advance 
money  to  persons  proposing  to  emigrate  from  China  to 
the  United  States,  in  contravention  of  the  law  which  I 
have  quoted,  or  relying  upon  his  ability  to  enforce  a con- 
tract to  labor  in  our  courts.  It  is  conceivable  that  Chi- 
nese may  do  so,  but  if  such  is  the  case  I have  failed, 
as  shown  in  the  earlier  chapters,  to  find  any  evidence  of 
the  fact.  It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  to  provide  against  such 
attempts  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese,  and  I have  pointed 
out  the  means  which  may  be  adopted  to  this  end.  In 
the  English  colonies,  at  least  in  Singapore,  the  case  is 
otherwise,  for  legislation  there  favors  the  importation  of 
coolies  under  contract,  and  contracts  for  their  labor  to 
be  carried  out  even  beyqnd  the  limits  of  the  colony. 

How  far  the  same  conditions  exist  in  Australia  I am 
not  in  position  to  know.  I find,  however,  a state- 
ment in  Rakel’s  “ Wanderings  of  the  Chinese,”  that  in 
1874  great  efforts  were  made  to  attract  the  Chinese  to 
Queensland  to  enter  into  the  culture  of  sugar  and  cotton, 
and  that  offers  were  made  at  Shanghae,  the  center  of  a 
cotton  growing  district,  to  contract  for  such  laborers  at 
seven  dollars  a month,  expenses  of  passage  both  ways 


408 


CO-OPERATIVE  LABOR. 


and  rations  ; that  similar  offers  were  made  at  Swatow 
and  Amoy,  ports  adjoining  the  sugar-growing  districts  ; 
but  both  essays  failed.  An  earlier  attempt  made  to  in- 
troduce Chinese  under  contract  into  North  Australia 
appears  to  have  been  more  successful  as  Rakel  speaks  of 
the  first  two  hundred  who  settled  there  as  having  been 
imported  “ via  Singapore,”  under  agreements  to  work  at 
specified  wages  for  a period  of  two  years.  Mr.  Crawford, 
referring  to  the  same  incident,  says  that  these  Chinese 
“were  experimentally  introduced  by  the  government, 
“ from  Singapore,  under  agreement.” 

I do  not  learn,  and  I do  not  believe,  that  foreigners 
have  entered  upon  the  business  of  exporting  coolies  to 
Singapore  or  to  Australia  excepting  in  very  rare  in- 
stances, and  this  would  not  be  necessary  as  Chinese 
agents  enter  upon  it  with  avidity  when  enabled  to  do  so 
with  safety.  As  nearly  as  I can  learn,  the  coolies  who 
arrive  at  Singapore  are  in  large  part  taken  there  by  such 
agents.  Those  who  go  to  Australia  on  the  contrary  are 
more  frequently  voluntary  emigrants,  that  is  to  say,  they 
pay  their  passages  themselves  in  advance,  and  are  free 
to  labor  where  and  with  whom  they  like.  Others,  how- 
ever, come  in  bands  of  ten  to  thirty  or  more,  under  a 
captain,  who  goes  with  them  to  the  mines  and  directs 
their  labors  there,  and  these  men  may  be  either  under 
contract  with  the  captain,  working  for  a stated  price  per 
mensem  and  repaying  the  amount  of  their  passages  and 
other  expenses  out  of  their  wages,  or  they  may  be  mem- 
bers of  societies  or  companies  co-operating  together,  the 
captain  being  only  one  of  their  number  and  given  prom- 
inence by  the  voice  of  the  company  as  a person  of  more 
experience  in  mining  enterprises.  The  Chinese  habit  of 
co-operative  work  is'  a marked  feature  in  all  their  indus- 
tries. The  farm  laborer  sometimes,  and  in  certain  em- 
ployments, as  sugar-growing,  almost  invariably,  receives 


CONTRACT  SYSTEM  IS  VICIOUS. 


409 


a share  of  the  crop,  for  his  services.  It  may  be  sup- 
posed under  these  circumstances  that  these  bands  are 
co-operative  to  a very  great  extent,  but  on  the  other 
hand  it  is  not  unlikely,  in  fact  probable,  that  the  laborers 
of  such  bands  are  sometimes,  if  not  often,  under  contract 
to  the  captain  and  to  the  persons  with  whom  he  is  asso- 
ciated. 

It  may  be  presumed  that  the  employers  of  contract- 
labor  in  Australia  have  the  power  to  enforce  their  con- 
tracts in  the  courts,  and  if  such  is  the  case  the  disposition 
of  Chinese  to  introduce  contract-laborers  would  be  so  far 
sustained  by  their  ability  to  hold  their  men  that  they 
would  enter  upon  the  business  to  the  extent  that  it  may 
be  made  profitable. 

The  situation  is  very  different  in  the  United  States. 
No  adequate  means  are  now  employed  in  China  to  de- 
termine whether  the  emigrant  will  land  upon  our  soil 
free  to  labor  as  he  likes.  I have  shown  that  the  con- 
sulate at  Hong  Kong  is  not  so  constituted  that  it  can  be 
expected  to  exhibit  great  efficiency,  and  beyond  this, 
that  the  necessary  examinations  can  be  thoroughly  made 
only  with  the  assistance  of  Chinese  officials.  But  the 
examinations  afford,  at  any  rate,  a considerable  check, 
and  the  further  check  afforded  by  the  fact  that  no  con- 
tract can  be  enforced  among  us  by  imprisonment  of  the 
laborer  violating  his  agreement,  has  been  sufficient,  as  it 
would  appear,  to  discourage  perfectly  the  contract  system. 

I have  taken  so  much  pains  to  speak  upon  this  subject, 
because  it  would  be  easy  to  argue  that  a given  condition 
of  affairs  in  Australia  affords  strong  presumptive  evidence 
that  the  same  conditions  exist  among  us,  and  it  is  desir- 
able to  remove  all  the  obstacles  which  prevent  a fair  con- 
sideration of  the  situation  of  the  Chinese  among  us.‘ 

The  facts  advanced  have  a further  and  very  direct  bear- 
ing upon  our  immediate  subject — the  question  of  the 


410 


CHINESE  IN  AUSTRALIAN  MINES. 


prospects  of  a large  immigration  of  the  Chinese.  It  is 
the  presumed  ability  of  the  persons  proposing  to  emi- 
grate to  our  country  to  procure  the  means  to  do  so  from 
persons  who  repay  themselves  from  the  laborer’s  service 
in  our  country  that  has  led  many  persons  to  expect  a 
large  immigration.  Just  that  ability  would  seem  to  exist 
in  Australia,  as  it  certainly  does  exist  in  the  British  ahd 
Dutch  settlements  at  Singapore,  Java,  &c. ; but  the 
results  have  not  been  grave.  The  fifty  thousand  Chinese 
in  Australia  are  insignificant  in  number  when  compared 
with  the  white  population,  and  with  the  magnificent  re- 
sources of  that  vast  region  ; yet  it  is  a place  where  the 
conditions  favorable  to  a large  influx  of  Chinese  exist  in  a 
marked  degree. 

While  the  Chinese  were  attracted  to  Australia  at  first, 
as  to  California,  by  the  reports  of  the  discovery  of  gold, 
they  remain  in  Australia,  unlike  those  in  California,  en- 
gaged chiefly  in  the  search  for  gold.  It  is  said  that  four- 
fifths  of  them  are  in  the  mines. 

Their  enterprises  in  mining  appear  to  have  been  at- 
tended by  many  of  the  difficulties  which  their  confreres 
in  California  have  met  with.  There  have  been  per- 
sistent efforts  made  by  the  Australian  miners  to  prevent 
them  from  working  in  the  better  grades  of  alluvial  soil, 
and  it  is  only  when  the  former  have  left  their  work  in 
given  places,  to  hurry  away  to  newer  and  richer  districts 
that  the  Chinese  have  been  allowed  to  take  peaceable 
possession.  They  have  entered  very  little  into  quartz 
mining,  and  for  whatever  reason  the  hydraulic  system 
docs  not  seem  to  have  been  introduced  into  Australia  to 
any  great  extent. 

Greater  efforts  have  been  made  apparently  to  protect 
Chinese  miners  than  in  California.  Each  mining  district 
is  placed  in  charge  of  a warden,  so  called,  and  a corps  of 
constables  and  detectives,  whose  duty  it  is  to  maintain 


EARNINGS  IN  MINES. 


4U 


order  in  the  mines,  and  to  defend  the  miners,  when  neces- 
sary, from  the  depredations  of  the  natives.  Some  of  the 
staff  so  employed  are  Chinese,  and  the  evidence  shows  that 
a great  degree  of  confidence  in  the  authorities  is  exhibited 
by  the  Chinese  miners.  At  Cook  town,  the  metropolis  of 
the  Queensland  district,  the  Chinese  waited  recently  upon 
the  magistrate  with  a number  of  complimentary  presents, 
in  order  to  indicate  after  their  fashion,  appreciation  of  his 
fair  dealing  in  their  affairs.  In  some  instances  the  regu- 
lations of  the  mines,  and  ordinances  of  interest  are  printed 
and  circulated  in  Chinese  as  well  as  English. 

The  placer  mining  of  Australia  like  that  of  California, 
appears  to  have  passed  its  period  of  greatest  production. 
In  Victoria,  for  instance,  14,000  Chinese  miners  were  em- 
ployed in  1872,  and  in  1876  their  number  had  been 
reduced  to  ii,ooo.  In  the  Queensland  mines  a great 
rush  was  made  in  1875-77,  but  already  in  the  latter  year 
there  were  indications  that  more  men  were  at  Avork  than 
could  continue  to  find  profitable  employment.  Out  of 
14,452  men  engaged  in  the  quartz  mines  of  Victoria  in 
1876,  106  only  were  Chinese.  In  alluvial  work  the  whites 
were  15,497,  and  the  Chinese  11,061.  In  the  Palmer 
river  districts  in  1877,  1,500  Australians  were  engaged  in 
quartz  mines,  monopolizing  that  industry,  and  perhaps 
15,000  Chinese  in  alluvial  work,  monopolizing  it. 

The  earnings  of  miners  in  Victoria  are  officially  ■ esti- 
mated as  folloAvs  • — 

1872.  1876. 

A 1-1  Alluvial  mines . £6^  £ a< 

Average  annual  earnings,  > ^ ^ ,,  j 

^ ^ ’ J Quartz  “ . 160  140 

The  earnings  of  Chinese  in  alluvial  mines  in  Queens- 
land in  1876,  were  estimated  at  £yo  a year,  for  each  man 
engaged. 

Their  employment  by  Australians  as  miners  appears 
to  be  far  more  limited  than  is  the  case  in  California.  We 
have  seen  that  very  few  are  engaged  in  the  quartz  mines 


412 


OTHER  INDUSTRIES. 


of  Victoria,  and  none  at  all  in  Queensland.  In  New  South 
Wales,  however,  more  are  employed.  In  New  Zealand 
they  have  been  used  as  sluicers,  and  to  remove  the  sur- 
face earth  of  claims,  the  miners  not  trusting  them  after 
reaching  “wash  dirt.” 

The  greater  part  of  the  ten  thousand  or  more  Chinese 
in  Australia  who  are  not  engaged  m mining  or  as  mer- 
chants have  opened  stores,  entered  into  fishing  and 
established  market  gardens.  Others  are  employed  as 
bakers,  butchers,  hands  on  back  country  stations,  cooks 
on  trepang  boats,  .mrniture  makers,  and  sometimes  as 
contract  road  laborers.  As  storekeepers  their  enterprises 
are  not  confined  to  supplying  the  articles  in  demand  by 
their  own  people,  but  they  are  running  a competition 
with  local  retailers  in  supplying  necessaries  of  a cheaper 
kind  to  the  Australians.  As  fishermen  they  are  rivals  of 
the  Italians,  who  have  largely  engaged  in  this  avocation 
there  as  they  have  in  California.  As  market  gardeners 
they  are  said  to  have  conferred  great  benefits  upon  the 
public,  by  reducing  the  cost  of  vegetables  so  that  they  are 
no  longer  a luxury  to  be  indulged  in  by  the  better  classes 
only,  but  a cheap  and  universal  article  of  diet.  Their 
employment  by  masters  not  of  their  own  nationality  is 
inappreciable,  and  as  domestic  servants  they  appear  to 
have  found  no  favor.  They  have  not  entered  into  shoe- 
or  cigar-making,  and  not  even  upon  their  favorite  indus- 
try as  launderers.  As  artisans  they  appear  to  have  de- 
veloped even  less  capacity  than  in  California.  As  farm 
laborers  they  are  not  employed  at  all. 

The  exclusion  of  the  Chinese  from  many  industries  is 
due  probably  to  two  causes,  the  lower  rates  of  Avages 
which  prevail  than  in  California,  and  the  efforts  of  the 
trades-unions.  Wages  are  high,  however,  in  compari- 
son with  the  rates  in  England.  Artisans  expect  to  earn 
from  two  to  three  pounds  a week,  say  ten  to  fifteen  dol- 


CALIFORNIA  AND  AUSTRALIA. 


413 


lars,  or  about  New  York  and  Chicago  wages.  Domestic 
servants  receive  from  thirty  to  fifty  pounds  a year  and 
rations,  which  is  rather  more  than  New  York  rates. 
Laborers  are  paid  six  to  seven  shillings  a day  beside 
rations,  which  also  is  more  than  New  York  rates,  and 
much  more  than  the  average  earnings  of  the  Chinese  in 
the  mines."  At  these  rates  they  would  no  doubt  take 
employment  among  the  Australians,  but  the  wages  for 
which  they  would  work  could  not,  probably,  be  so  far 
reduced  below  these  rates  as  to  compensate  for  their 
lack  of  acquaintance  with  the  requirements  of  the  em- 
ploying class  and  lack  of  adaptability.  The  trades- 
unions,  again,  exert  a very  powerful  influence  in  Aus- 
tralia, their  members  having  taken  with  them  the 
methods  familiar  to,  them  in  England,  and  by  their 
organization  and  unity  discouraged  any  attempts  by  the 
employing  class  to  free  themselves  from  their  influence. 

There  are  some  circumstances,  then,  which  are  more 
favorable  to  the  influx  of  Chinese  into  Australia  than 
into  California,  and  others  again  less  favorable.  It  is 
possible  to  use  the  contract  system,  and  the  distance 
from  Canton  is  considerably  less  than  to  San  Francisco. 
There  is  probably  better  order  maintained  in  the  Aus- 
tralian mines  than  in  those  of  California.  There  is  far 
more  unoccupied  land,  and  there  are  whole  regions  to 
which  the  Chinese  may  go  where  they  would  tread  a 
virgin  soil,  free,  practically,  from  competition  with  white 
men.  In  California  they  have  a greater  variety  of  em- 
ployments open  to  them,  and  may  expect  higher  wages. 
The  tendency  toward  a fall  in  wages  in  California  is  very 
marked,  however,  and  it  becomes  doubtful  whether  Aus- 
tralian inducements  will  not  soon  outweigh  those  which 
are  presented  in  that  State. 

The  Australian  customs  authorities  have  made  an 
efibrt  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  the  remittances  made 


414 


SANITARY  REGULATIONS. 


by  the  Chinese  to  China  in  the  form  of  gold  dust,  and 
their  reports  indicate  that  about  ;£^5o,ooo  are  so  exported 
in  each  year.  I find  no  other  data  regarding  the  sums 
which  are  sent  out  of  the  country  by  them. 

Their  expenses  in  Australia  do  not  equal,  probably, 
those  of  their  compatriots  in  California,  excepting  in  the 
newer  and  more  distant  gold  diggings  where  they  have 
often  to  pay  for  an  expensive  carriage  of  goods  from  the 
coast  to  the  mines.  At  Cooktown  a miner  may  live  at  a 
good  inn  for  ten  shillings  a week,  having  three  meals  a 
day  of  rice  with  the  usual  adjunct  of  chicken,  dried  fish, 
beans  and  vegetables. 

Their  tendency  to  increase  expenditures  as  their  in- 
comes augment  is  remarked  in  Australia  as  it  is  in  Cali- 
fornia. There  is  an  imperceptible  bettering  of  dress  and 
personal  accessories,  of  the  style  of  living  and  of  gratifica- 
tions of  the  senses.  The  love  of  play  characterizes  them 
there  as  everywhere  else  and  old  hands  in  Australia  as 
in  California  may  be  known  by  a certain  jauntiness,  and 
knowing  manner,  as  well  as  the  improved  dress  which 
they  alTect. 

Chinese  merchants  are  well  spoken  of  in  Australia  as 
they  are  in  San  Francisco,  but  their  operations,  as  I 
should  judge,  are  mmre  limited,  and  are  more  directly 
connected  with  the  mining  interest.  Some  of  them  are 
credited  with  being  directly  concerned  Avith  the  mining 
captains  in  the  importation  of  contract  laborers  and  the 
proceeds  of  their  work. 

No  difficulties  have  been  met  Avith  in  enforcing  the 
observance  of  sanitary  regulations  by  the  Chinese  in  the 
tOAvns.  There  are  not  very  many  congregated  in  any  of 
the  cities.  The  merchants  live  in  houses  AA'hich  present 
no  external  indications  of  their  occupation,  and  as  there 
are  no  trades  folloAved  extensively  by  the  AA'orking  men, 
Avhich  attracts  them  to  the  toAvns,  their  presence  is  not 


CONTROL  OF  THE  CHINESE. 


415 


felt  as  an  evil  as  it  has  been  in  the  crowded  Chincsc- 
quarter  in  San  Francisco,  Breaches  of  the  peace  in  Syd- 
ney and  Melbourne  are  said  to  arise  generally  from  the 
disposition  of  sailors  to  overbear  them  in  the  shops. 
Offences  against  sanitary  regulations  require,  as  a rule, 
only  occasional  warnings  from  the  inspectors  of  nuis- 
ances. Gambling  is  not  much  interfered  with  excepting 
in  the  rare  instances  when  young  Australians  are  lured 
into  the  houses,  or  when  it  assumes  larger  proportions. 
Fan-tan,  a favorite  Chinese  gambling  game,  has  been 
suppressed  in  Cooktown.  The.  simpler  games,  as  cards 
and  dominos,  are  played  so  quietly  by  little  bands  in  the 
clubs  and  tea-houses  that  they  scarcely  attract  attention. 

Mr.  Crawford  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  in 
1876  there  were  only  a score  of  Chinese  women  in  Aus- 
tralia, and  that  all  of  them  were  wives  or  maid  servants 
and  of  good  repute.  He  is  authority  for  the  further 
statement  that  there  are  many  marriages  between  Chi- 
nese and  Irish  women,  that  the  husbands  arc  attentive 
and  veiy  frequently  join  the  church  of  the  wife.  The 
children  appear  to  be  brought  up  differently,  the  boys 
retaining  the  dress  of  the  fathers,  the  girls  those  of  the 
mothers. 

There  is  no  complaint  made  in  Australia  in  regard  to 
secret  societies  of  the  Hip  Ye  Tung  class,  nor  of  the  in- 
stitution of  an  iinperiiim  hi  imperio,  to  use  the  language 
of  Mr.  Pixley.  Exactly  the  same  procedure  for  the  set- 
tlement of  disputes  is  found  there,  however,  as  in  Cali- 
fornia. On  this  point  Mr.  Crawford  uses  the  following 
language  ; — 

“ Wherever  they  have  settled  for  any  length  of  time  in 
“Australia  and  become  known,  they  are  considerately 
“treated.  Their  judicial  cases  are  conducted  with  care, 
“ and  no  better  proof  of  the  general  acknowledgment  of 
“the  justice  of  the  English  law  could  be  given  than  the 


416 


UNFRIENDLY  LEGISLATION. 


“fact  that  they  look  to  the  colonial  law  courts  as  courts 
“of  appeal  from  the  informal  decisions  of  their  clubs  or 
"guilds.  Petty  as  these  disputes  usually  are,  the  arbitra- 
“ tion  of  head  men  may  fail,  and  they  are  then  referred  to 
“ a general  meeting  of  the  particular  organization  to  which 
“ the  defendants  belong,  where  the  evidence  is  freely  can- 
“vassed  and  a verdict  given  by  acclamation.  Fines  vary 
“ from  the  payment  of  the  evening’s  score  to  a substantial 
“contribution,  but  any  party  who  is  not  satisfied  carries 
“his  case  into  a colonial  court.” 

I have  no  doubt  that  more  difficulties  are  met  with  in 
the  control  of  the  Chinese  at  large  in  California  than  in 
Australia,  and  especially  in  San  Francisco.  A summary 
of  the  facts  presented  in  Mr.  Crawford’s  report  satisfies  me 
however  that  the  colonial  governments  deal  more  carefully 
and  wisely  with  them  than  the  people  of  California  have 
done,  and  that  they  have  succeeded  in  preventing  many 
evils  by  the  simplest  administrative  measures  honestly 
executed. 

I find  nothing  in  Crawford’s  report  in  regard  to  the 
taxation  of  the  Chinese  in  Australia,  and  I am  inclined 
to  believe  that  at  the  date  of  his  visit  no  restrictions  were 
placed  upon  the  influx  of  immigrants.  At  a later  date, 
a deposit  fee  was  required  in  Queensland  for  each  Chi- 
nese landing,  the  amount  of  which  was  to  be  held  in  de- 
posit to  provide  for  the  immigrant  in  case  he  should  be- 
come a burden  upon  the  colony,  and  to  be  returned  to  him 
upon  his  departure  if  unused.  My  impression  is  that 
the  law  in  question  was  enacted  as  a measure  of  precau- 
tion only,  the  rush  of  immigrants  having  become  so 
great,  and  the  work  in  the  mines  being  so  uncertain  on 
account  of  the  lack  of  a regular  rainfall,  that  grave  appre- 
hensions were  entertained  of  a famine  among'the  miners. 

I have  taken  no  trouble  to  learn  what  restrictive  meas- 
ures, if  any,  have  been  recently  enacted  in  the  Australian 


PERU  AND  CUBA. 


417 


colonies,  because  they  are  not  of  consequence  in  our  pres- 
ent discussion.  The  salient  facts  are,  that  until  lately  no 
restrictions  have  been  imposed,  and  that  immigration 
has  not  been  large. 

I have  said,  in  the  opening  part  of  this  chapter,  that 
there  is  no  occasion  to  inquire,  with  particularity,  into 
the  facts  regarding  Chinese  emigration  to  Peru  and  Cuba. 
The  correctness  of  this  statement  will  be  appreciated 
when  I repeat  the  declaration  that  there  has  been  no 
voluntary  movement  of  the  Chinese  to  those  countries. 
This  is  a matter  perfectly  well  known  throughout  the 
civilized  world,  but  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  describe  the 
methods  by  which  the  Chinese  have  been  taken  thither, 
and  held  to  a service  which  has  differed  but  little  from 
slavery. 

The  immediate  object  of  the  importers  has  been  not 
to  obtain  laborers  for  their  own  use,  but  to  make  a com- 
merce in  laborers.  In  nearly  all  instances  they  were 
white  men,  actively  assisted  by  Chinese.  It  was  the 
business  of  the  latter  to  spread  reports  of  the  wealth  of 
the  region  for  which  men  were  sought,  of  the  opportu- 
nities to  grow  rich  there,  &c.  By  these  means,  and  often, 
as  it  is  believed,  by  more  nefarious  agencies,  the  assistance 
of  lewd  women,  pressure  for  debts,  often  contracted  by 
gambling  into  which  the  coolie  had  been  enticed,  threats 
of  prosecution,  drugging  with  opium,  and  kidnapping 
outright,  the  unsuspecting,  timid,  or  despairing  country- 
men were  lured  into  the  barracoons  and  induced  to  sign 
contracts  to  labor,  for  a term  of  years,  at  four  or  five 
dollars  a month.  The  contract  once  made,  the  trader 
could  demand,  at  Macao,  at  least,  the  assistance  of  the 
government  of  the  colony  to  guard  the  coolies  until  the 
ships  were  ready  to  receive  them,  while  being  embarked, 
and  until  out  of  port  on  their  way  across  the  sea.  At 
the  port  of  destination,  Callao  or  Havana,  the  trader  sold 


418 


ENORMITIES. 


his  contracts  to  the  highest  bidders.  Each  man  may 
have  cost  him  forty  dollars,  fifty,  or  even  more,  and  the 
contract  for  his  sei-vices  would  command  readily  four, 
five,  or  six  hundred  dollars.  The  courts  and  authorities 
in  Peru  and  Cuba  stood  ready  to  enforce  the  contracts 
by  physical  restraints  and  punishments,  and  the  power 
to  apply  these  was  often  directly  delegated  to  employers. 
Thus,  under  cover  of  a form  of  contract,  from  the  beginning 
until  the  end,  the  greatest  enormities  were  perpetrated. 
In  October,  1855,  the  American  ship,  “Waverly,”  laden 
with  coolies  for  Callao  or  Havana,  put  into  the  port  of 
Manila  to  bury  the  captain,  who  had  died  of  dysentery. 
Some  of  the  Chinese  asked  to  go  ashore,  and  an  alter- 
cation resulted  in  which  one  Chinese  was  shot  and  the 
others  forced  below,  and  the  hatches  battened  down. 
These  were  not  opened  until  the  next  morning,  when 
two  hundred  and  fifty- one  coolies  were  found  dead. 
In  a case  of  an  outbreak  on  board  an  Italian  ship,  the 
“Napoleon  Canavero,”  in  1865,  the  coolies  were  similarly 
driven  below,  and  the  hatches  battened  down  ; but  un- 
willing to  perish  by  suffocation,  they  set  fire  to  the  ship. 
The  crew  escaped  in  boats,  and  the  ship,  with  her  cargo 
of  human  beings,  was  consumed  by  the  flames. 

Nor  were  these  tragedies  exceptional  ones.  In  March, 
1871,  Chief  Justice  Smale  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Hong 
Kong,  delivered  a decision  in  a case  in  which  the  ques- 
tion of  the  character  of  the  Macao  coolie  trade  was  dealt 
with  at  length.  Speaking  of  its  extent  and  the  horrors 
by  which  it  was  attended  he  said  ; — 

“ It  seems  to  me  that  if  cause  and  effect  have  their  full 
“ operation,  this  abominable  traffic  will  find  for  itself  a 
“ terrible  and  appalling  end.  I have  endeavored  to  make 
“ up  a list  of  ships  in  which  there  have  been  coolie  ris- 
“ ings  and  destruction  of  the  ships,  and  the  voyages  have 
“ failed.  That  list  is  not  complete,  but  I believe  that 


NUMBERS  IN  PERU  AND  CUBA. 


419 


“within  a short  period  some  six  or  seven  ships  carrying 
“ about  3,000  coolies  have  been  burnt  or  otherwise  de- 
“ stroyed,  with  an  immense  loss  of  life,  including  cap- 
“ tains  and  a relatively  large  proportion  of  the  crews.” 

This  iniquitous  traffic  has  been  put  an  end  to  by  the 
government  of  China  co-operating  with  the  government 
of  Portugal,  which  latter  was  slow  to  awake  to  the  enor- 
mities practiced  under  its  flag  in  Macao,  and  with  it 
has  ended  all  emigration  of  the  Chinese  to  Peru  and 
Cuba. 

It  is  difficult  to  learn  how  many  Chinese  there  are  in 
these  districts.  They  have  been  estimated  as  high  as 
one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  in  Peru  and  nearly  as 
many  more  in  Cuba.  It  is  probable  that  there  are  from 
fifty  to  sixty  thousand  in  each. 

If  I should  be  asked  now  to  state  the  prospects  of 
Chinese  emigration  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  I should  re- 
spond that  there  will  be  a slow  but  continued  movement 
from  the  northern  provinces  into  Manchuria  and  Mon- 
golia, and  from  the  northwest  into  Hi  and  Kashgaria, 
should  those  regions  remain  free  from  disturbances  and 
confirmed  to  Chinese  rule.  In  the  central  provinces  the 
ravages  of  the  great  rebellion  have  not  been  repaired, 
and  there  appears  to  be  no  tendency  on  the  part  of  the 
people  to  leave  their  homes,  nor  any  pressure  of  necessity 
urging  them  to  do  so.  From  the  southern  districts  the 
Chinese  will  move  toward  the  fertile  plains  of  Cochin 
China  and  Further  India,  generally,  as  they  find  encour- 
agement. Their  exodus  will  be  accelerated  vastly  if  the 
French  extend  their  dominions,  as  they  are  almost  certain 
to  do.  They  will  go  also  to  the  English  and  Dutch 
settlements  in  the  straits  of  Malacca,  and  the  Malay 
archipelago.  The  Dutch  are  constantly  pressing  forward 
their  territories,  and  there  is  an  irrepressible,  though 
resisted  tendency  toward  an  extension  of  the  settlements 


420 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHINESE  EMIGRATION. 


of  England.  There  will  be  also  a continued  stream  of 
emigrants  to  Australia  and  California,  but  it  is  not  a 
growing  stream  in  either  case,  and  causes  are  at  work 
which  will  bring  about  a diminution  of  the  flow  in  both 
directions,  irrespective  of  legislation  or  restrictive  treaties. 

It  will  be  seen  that  I do  not  limit  the  scene  of  the  future 
activities  of  Chinese  to  their  own  immediate  territories, 
but  that  I do  expect  that  they  will  find  their  most  ap- 
propriate theatre  in  their  own  quarter  of  the  globe.  It 
is  then  among  populations  which  are  less  vigorous  and 
worthy  than  themselves,  in  districts  which  hardly  know 
the  industrious  hand  of  man,  and  which  are  not  less  rich 
in  natural  resources  than  the  most  favored  lands  of  the 
earth,  that  these  people  may  work  out  their  manifest 
destiny.  Whether  the  empire  stands  or  falls,  the  race  is 
an  enduring  one,  and  its  destiny  will  be  accomplished. 
I have  no  less  faith  that  our  own  will  be. 


APPENDIX 


The  following  statement  in  regard  to  the  number  of  the 
Chinese  in  the  United  States  has  been  given  to  me  by  the 
Census  Bureai’,  and  shows  the  results  of  the  enumeration  of 
June,  1880 : 


Alabama  4 

Arizona 1,630 

Arkansas 134 

California 75,025 

Colorado 610 

Connecticut 124 

Dakota 238 

Delaware i 

District  of  Columbia 13 

Florida 18 

Georgia 17 

Idaho 3,378 

Illinois 210 

Indiana 33 

Iowa 47 

Kansas 19 

Kentucky 10 

Louisiana 473 

Maine 9 

Maryland 5 

Massachusetts 237 

Michigan 27 

Minnesota 53 

Mississippi 52 

Total 


Missouri 92 

Montana 1,764 

Nebraska 18 

Nevada 5,4^0 

New  Jersey 176 

New  Hampshire 14 

New  Mexico 55 

New  York  State 919 

North  Carolina 

Ohio.... 1 14 

Oregon.... 9,513 

Pennsylvania l6o 

Rhode  Island 27 

South  Carolina 9 

Tennessee 26 

Texas 141 

Utah 501 

Vermont. . 

Virginia 6 

West  Virginia 14 

Wisconsin 16 

Washington  Territory....  3,182 
Wyoming 914 


105,448 


Aggregate  Chinese 

Pop.  Pop. 

San  Francisco.  233,953  21,745 

California  (including  San  Francisco) 864,686  75,025 

It  will  be  &een  that  these  figures  do  not  differ  materially 
from  the  estimates  given  in  Part  I.  of  this  book. 

January  26,  1881. 


I 

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lf«<« 


DATE  DUE 

li9i^ 

CAYUORO 

PNINTKO  IN  U.t.A. 

-■  V- 


